I'm like you, Calamity Jane
by sasha272
Summary: After their loss at Nationals, Schue planned a team building in an old west town to cheer everyone up but Rachel and Santana never thought reading an old inscription on the saloon wall would send them back in the 1800's…
1. A what? Team Building

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee

A/N: Co-written with the help of Sha22. Set in season 2. After Nationals, Rachel turned Finn down and Brittany made it clear that Santana was only her best friend. Lauren left the club right after nationals. English is not my first language.

A/N 2: I started this story before Erato but then I got stuck and worked on the other. I'll try to be a minimum historically accurate but bear with me...

 ** _Happy birthday sweetheart, this chapter is for you..._**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: A What? Team building**

The New Directions were all gathered in the choir room, waiting for Mr Schue to arrive. They might have lost Nationals but the teacher had insisted they should come to glee club because he had some important news to tell them.

Since New-York, the tension was palpable between the members. Rachel was angry at Finn for the kiss he initiated in the middle of their performance and wanted to stay as far away from him as possible. She had made sure to give the boy an earful of how inappropriate it was and told him she was not interested in getting back together with him.

Quinn couldn't wait to be on summer break and hated every one with a passion except the members of the Unholy Trinity and the same was true for Santana. The two girls had grown closer since their heart to heart talk in their hotel room. But lately, the Latina had only one thing in mind, make the Midget and Frankenteen pay for their loss at Nationals. Revenge would keep her brain busy and she wouldn't have to think about Brittany and how the girl had said she only loved her as a best friend.

The other members were just disappointed but they knew they still had one year to win.

"Alright Guys, sit down" Schuester said when he finally walked through the door of the choir room. "I want to thank you all for coming today. I know you are all sad after…"

"Get to the point , some of us have things to do." Santana cut him off.

"I agree with Santana." Quinn declared. "School is almost over and we lost at Nationals, there is no need for us to be here"

"In fact there is." William stated. "What I was going to say before Santana interrupted me." He sent her a meaningful glance and saw the girl roll her eyes. "Is that I know you are sad and to cheer you up, I organised…" He stopped talking to let the suspense build. "A team building exercise next weekend in an old west town attraction!" He finished with a proud grin.

Silence filled the room as the students stared at their teacher. Finally, Finn spoke. "Cool, it's gonna be awesome mister Schue!"

Brittany bounced in happiness. "Can I bring Lord Tubbington? If he discovers I went without him he's going to be mad."

Schuester shook his head. "Sorry Brittany, animals aren't allowed."

"It's a joke, right?" Quinn asked, still staring at the teacher with a frown.

"Yes because it's the worst idea you've ever had and it says something." Santana added.

"I understand you are mad about our loss at Nationals but…" The teacher started.

"Mister Schue, sorry to interrupt but is it mandatory? As you may know, I have a strict schedule during weekends between my ballet class and my voice…"

"No one asked you, midget!" The Latina snapped.

Finn rose from his chair to defend his ex-girlfriend. "Don't talk to her like that, Satan!"

"I can fight my own battles, Finn. I don't need a knight in shining armour, thank you very much." The diva looked at the boy sternly, forcing him to sit back and continued. "If Santana didn't have the habit of interrupting people so rudely all the time, I would have said I'm not sure I wish to participate in this out-of-school activity if it is optional."

"If she's not going, I'm not going!" Kurt exclaimed, jumping into the conversation "The last thing I want to do is a Brokeback Mountain remake. Even though, I have to admit Heath Ledger was a great actor."

"Could you be any gayer?" The Latina sneered.

"That's enough!" William shouted. "Take this as your last assignment. I offered the service of the New Directions to sing during their annual ball. In exchange, we are free to do all the activities this tourist attraction has to offer."

"Is there a shooting range? I would love to try that." Puck questioned.

"I don't know but you are not allowed to use it if there is one" Schue replied. "Oh! And before I forget, we'll have to dress up. The costumes will be supplied by the manager on our arrival."

"Oh hells to the no!" Mercedes yelled. "I don't want to wear costumes from the 1800's."

"It's not optional. We'll all meet in the parking lot Saturday at 6AM. Don't be late." The teacher concluded before leaving.

Santana gritted her teeth while gathering her stuff. "Great, we're gonna spend the weekend surrounded by sodbusters and awful tourists. Could this get any worse?"

"For what it's worth Santana, I tend to agree with you. Being forced to perform albeit I never complain about that part, during a weekend in a place…"

The raven-haired girl held her hand up to stop the diva's rant. "Oh yeah, it does get worse because I have to spend the weekend with the troll and Finncompetent!" She said to Quinn without sparing a glance to Rachel. "B, Q, let's go. We have things to do."

Quinn sent an apologetic smile to the brunette before following her friends.

Rachel sighed. "I'm afraid it's going to be a long weekend for all of us…" She mumbled to herself.

* * *

Saturday morning came quickly and all the members of the glee club were gathered in the parking lot, some of them happier than others about this trip.

Since their conversation at the locker, things had been awkward between Santana and Brittany so the Latina rushed to the back of the bus to avoid everyone but still kept a seat for Quinn. The girl knew that her friend would be more than happy to criticize this excursion with her if she was getting bored.

Once the bus started, the raven-haired girl took a look in front of her. To her surprise, Brittany was seated next to Finn. She saw Rachel seated on her own in the middle of the bus and wondered why she wasn't next to her oaf boyfriend. When she saw Quinn grab her book, she decided to make her mind go blank and put in her earphones. She closed her eyes and pressed play on her Ipod. Just as she was starting to fall asleep, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She cracked an eye open.

"What do you want, Dwarf?" Santana questioned coldly.

Rachel, as usual, ignored the nickname and sat on the opposite row seat. "Were you aware that Finn and Brittany had started a friendship?"

The Latina snorted. "Why do you care?"

"I don't. I'm just surprised. I never saw them talk before today. Brittany is your best friend… I thought she would sit next to you and Quinn…" The diva explained.

"Well, you know what, Midget, stop thinking about me or Brittany or anything related to us. If you want to know something, go talk to your boyfriend." The former cheerio barked.

"He is not my boyfriend!" The petite brunette corrected.

Santana rolled her eyes. "I don't care. Your pathetic love story ruined our chance at Nationals. You're lucky to be alive right now because…"

"He kissed me Santana!" Rachel interrupted.

"But you kissed him back! So don't act all innocent miss goody two shoes."

"Yes, because slapping him in front of everyone would have been better!" The diva replied sarcastically.

The Latina snorted and rolled her eyes once again. "I saw it coming from a mile away when the T-Rex leaned forward. If you weren't so blinded by the oaf you could have taken a step back or whatever."

"Seriously, Santana? If you really think it was worth making of fool out of myself in front of thousand people, you are gravely mistaken."

"God, shut up! Both of you! I would like to read my book in peace. So stop bickering or go somewhere else." Quinn commanded.

Rachel huffed but stayed in her seat. Santana looked at her for a while, intrigued by why the girl refused to take Finn back when the man thought their kiss was the ultimate romantic gesture. Feeling eyes on her, the diva looked at Santana questioningly. They held each other's gaze for a minute until the Latina turned her head and closed her eyes in hope time would go faster.


	2. Sad love story

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any quotes from **Sorin Cerin (Love)**

A/N: Rating M for violence

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Sad love story**

After a four-hour bus ride, the glee club finally arrived at Glesswood. This western town was the replica of an old west town built in 1820 at the exact same location. The saloon was the only original building on the site.

The group got out of the bus and walked toward the reception. There, they were welcomed by Mrs Prudence Harper, the manager and owner of the site. The woman, a descendant of the last Glesswood mayor, decided to recreate this town after reading all the legends linked to the place.

Once the introductions were done, Mrs Harper offered a tour of the location. The glee clubbers, calm until then, started to get agitated. The visit began at the Sheriff office, where the boys did their best imitation of Clint Eastwood under the mocking stare of their classmates. Then they were led to the post office.

Santana had her nose stuck to her phone, barely paying attention to what was happening around her. It was more interesting to scroll down her tumblr feed than listen to the boring stories about an old town she didn't care about.

After a while, the Latina raised her eyes and looked at her teammates. Her eyes fell on Rachel who was listening to Mrs Harper with rapt attention. She rolled her eyes; only the brunette could enjoy a history lesson while on a supposedly getaway weekend. She was so sure the midget was as reluctant as the others to come to this trip. She would never understand her, the girl was just a freak of nature.

The tan girl was busy glaring holes at the back of the diva's head when Brittany appeared behind her.

"I saw a gang of cats at the end of the street. Do you think Lord Tubbington sent them to watch me because I wasn't allowed to bring him here?" The tall blonde asked worried.

"I don't think so Britt. It's just a coincidence." The Latina assured with a soft smile.

"Really? Because if they tell him I'm having fun, he will be mad and he'll force me to sleep on the couch again." Brittany insisted. "He's already mad at me because I told him I wanted to date a popular jock next year…"

The raven-haired girl looked in bewilderment at her friend. "What… I, Hum…" She sighed, tired and frustrated by the situation. She couldn't believe Brittany was already thinking about dating other people…

"We are sure about this Brittany. They don't seem related. And if Lord Tubbington is mad, we'll talk to him and explain the situation." Quinn explained with a reassuring smile. Santana sent her a grateful smile, mouthing thank you.

"Thank you, Quinnie!" The tall blonde beamed before going back outside.

* * *

For the next step of the visit, the manager led them to the Saloon where she gave them costumes. The boys could chose between the costumes of Sheriff, Cowboy, Highwayman or Saloon Bartender and the girls could choose between a costume of Rancher, Saloon Girl, Wealthy Western Lady or Shopkeeper.

After a long debate, Mike and Kurt chose to be sheriff, Sam and Finn agreed to be cowboy and Artie took the saloon bartender costume. Puck thought being a Highwayman was good for his bad boy image.

Brittany rushed to grab the saloon girl costume, thrilled to dance in it during the ball. Mercedes reluctantly agreed to be wealthy Lady when Quinn wanted to be more humble and chose the Shopkeeper costume. Tina and Santana wanted to be rancher because to Santana, it was the most badass costume of all. Rachel being small and the last one to choose ended up with the Shopkeeper costume, the only one which fit.

Once everyone was dressed, Prudence explained the story of the saloon. "The fire which had devastated the town left this edifice unscathed when all the other buildings had turned to ashes. The legend has it that a young couple was stuck on the second floor during the fire. Seeing they couldn't escape, they just held each other and resigned themselves to die. But their unique bond and love were so strong that it created some sort of magnetic field, protecting them and the building from the fire. When it was over, they walked out of the saloon, hand in hand, to see what was left of the town. Imagine their surprise when everything was destroyed except the place they were in."

"It must have been awful and heartbreaking." Kurt commented, immersed in the story.

The manager nodded. "Indeed. After that, they walked aimlessly around the silent and empty town, leaning against each other, until they reached the city limit. That's where they noticed a tall boy, standing with a distraught face. When they came closer, they recognized him as the girl's ex lover who had never accepted that the girl he wanted to marry had moved on. He was known for his violent outburst so what happened after he saw them didn't surprise anyone."

Santana sneered. "It's weird, it sounds familiar…"

Quinn, who was standing next to her snorted. "I guess this type of man is not confined to a particular era."

"He had stayed behind when the group of survivors left, in case anyone else was still alive. But when he saw the couple, alive and still together, he lost his mind. After everything that had happened, they had to stand there, in front of him, taunting him with their happiness. Without thinking and full of rage, he took his gun and aimed at them." The manager said with a dramatic tone. She took a pause to build the tension before continuing. "If he couldn't have her, no one would so he pulled the trigger." The woman made a shooting motion with her hand.

"What a douche!" Tina exclaimed, receiving a few nods at her comment.

"The jealous man shot his rival first before aiming at his ex. The wounded boy, in a last attempt to protect the women he loved, stepped in front of her, taking the bullet that was destined for her. He fell on the floor and whispered I love you for the last time. She held him as he lay on the ground, crying and wondering how they could survive a fire to die like this."

Santana sighed loudly. "If this gets cheesier and more melodramatic, I'm gonna barf. What is this, a Nicholas Sparks's novel?"

"I think it's beautiful. It means some people have a bond stronger than anything. Like a magnet pulling them toward each other no matter what." Rachel countered.

The former cheerleader rolled her eyes. "You're pathetic!"

"I am not!" The diva cried offended. "It's you and your small cold heart."

Santana sneered. "Small? Like something your nose isn't!"

"Can we just hear the rest of the story?" Kurt cut in before the argument led to another smack down between the two. The Latina shot daggers at him but didn't say anything.

"It's okay, you have the right to have an opinion. Where was I? Ah yes! The man tried to finish what he started but he couldn't pull the trigger anymore. The broken cries of the girl he once loved echoed in the street and shook him out of his daze. The feeling of nausea suddenly rushed over him at the realisation of what he had done. When his eyes locked with the grieving girl, he fell to his knees. She slowly let go of her cold lover's body, kissing him one more time before angrily marching toward her ex-boyfriend He didn't move, paralyzed and he didn't even protest when the girl reached for his gun."

"Damn, it's better than a movie on Netflix!" Mercedes murmured.

Kurt nodded. "I wish we had pop corn."

"For the next part of the tale, the sources diverge. I choose to believe the oldest book. It says she looked at the man and said: 'Now that my heart is dead and a part of my soul is gone, the rest of my body should follow. But first, if the world has to keep revolving without my lover, it shouldn't continue with you.' And after that, she pulled the trigger, killing him instantly. This sweet and caring woman, who had never been violent before, took his life before taking her own because she couldn't live without her soul mate." Mrs Harper smiled happily, glad to have captured their attention. "The end!"

"It's really an amazing legend and it's definitely inspirational. I love it." Rachel beamed.

Santana snorted. "Of course you do, midget! It's the perfect plot for one of your awful musicals."

"You know, Santana, for someone who despises musicals so much you seem well informed about how they are constructed." The diva snapped.

The Latina scoffed. "Please Berry, I don't need to watch them to know they're always cliché. I read you know, I'm not dumb unlike your boyfriend."

"How many times do I have to say this, Finn is NOT my boyfriend!" The petite brunette hissed.

Santana rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Prudence laughed at the girls' interaction, making everyone stare at her. "I'm sorry but I've been watching you two since the beginning and you really remind me of the couple from the legend. They were always bickering too when they met each other but the reason behind it turned out to be buried passion. When they stopped being stubborn and gave each other a chance, they realised they were soul mates. They even had to keep their love secret because almost everyone in town disapproved. They were from different worlds and at that time you couldn't date who you wanted. But they went against it…"

"Okay, I'm gonna stop you right there. If you want to be able to talk again after this little tour, you better never repeat that, ever." The raven-haired girl threatened. "Besides, I'm not ga…"

"Santana, behave!" Schue reprimanded.

"Mrs Harper, while I don't condone this rude and threatening comment my teammate made, I have to say your remark was deeply unprofessional and uncalled-for."

"I'm sorry ladies, I didn't want to upset you but who knows?" The manager teased.

"I know! We can't stand each other!" The Latina informed.

"Well to quote Sorin Cerin **'Even** **though I have not loved from the beginning this wonderful soul, even though I have long disappointed and tortured it with my apparent instability, I have come to understand that when you do not seek you will find and when you do not love from the beginning you will live the greatest love, that will become the love of your lif _e'_ "** "This quote is beautifully written Ma'am. Rest assured that I will do some research about this writer as soon as we are back in Lima but for now I really think we should move on." Rachel insisted. "Of course, I apologize. I tend to get carried away about all these stories. Take a look around, let's appreciate the beauty of this place before resuming our tour."

* * *

Rachel walked around, looking at the old pictures hung on the wall. Her attention quickly fell on a little stage with a piano in the corner. She ran her fingers over the black and white keys when she noticed a quote engraved on the wall, just above the piano. She stared at it before reading it at loud. ' **This is our life, the life of the soul mates, of always seeking one another…** '

" **And when they find each other they consume with the love of their love**." Santana finished. "God, depressing much?" She stared at the quote before asking Quinn. "Isn't it something you could find in one of your books, Q?" Having no answer, the girl rolled her eyes. "Are you ignorin…" The Latina stopped when she noticed Quinn wasn't there. She looked around in search of any of her classmates but only saw Rachel. "What the fuck?"

Rachel sighed. "Must you swear all the time?"

"Must you be annoying all the time?" Santana mocked.

The petite brunette huffed. "What's the matter with you?"

The tan girl sighed heavily. "Did you not notice everyone was gone?"

"What do you mean everyone is gone?" The diva asked, annoyed by the girl's attitude.

Santana rolled her eyes. "Exactly what I said. Seriously, I'm out of here!"

"Wait, Santana!" Rachel tried to stop her but the girl was already walking out the door.

The Latina stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed her surroundings. "What the…" The landscape was totally different from a few minutes ago. There were stagecoaches and carriages instead of cars, the street lamps and electric wires were gone. People were riding horses in the street and were dressed in the same costumes as them.

"Santana!" Rachel rushed behind her. "What are you…" She trailed off when she saw what was in front of her.

"Okay, why does everything look like a Clint Eastwood movie?" Santana questioned.

"I…We…I mean…" The diva stumbled, confused by the situation.

"Great!" The tan girl muttered. "For once I need you to speak and you can't even formulate a sentence."

"Is this one of your jokes? Because this is not funny, Santana!" Rachel snapped.

The former cheerleader scoffed. "Yeah, as if I wanted to be stuck with you in this shitty town with all those hillbillies. If it was a joke do you really think they would have had time to replace everything from the 2000's with this in less than five minutes? I knew you could be naïve but I never thought you were stupid."

"Don't be rude!" The brunette chastised.

"Shut up! I'm gonna try to call Q, do something useful for a change!" Santana grabbed her phone but quickly saw she had no service. "Fucking great…"

Rachel took a look around and saw a newspaper on a chair across the street. Without thinking she marched toward it, oblivious to the horse galloping in her direction. She froze when she realised it was going to knock her down but at the last minute, she felt a hand grab her arm, pulling her to the side. She lost her balance and came crashing against Santana's body. The diva let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, keeping her hold on the Latina as her legs kept shaking. "Thank you, Santana."

The former cheerleader pushed her away forcefully. "Don't get used to it. And look where you're going, it's not like you're far from the ground with your height!"

Rachel ignored the girl's comment and carefully crossed the road. She grabbed the newspaper and saw the date May 6th, 1880...


	3. A Clint Eastwood movie

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee

A/n: thanks Joanorbis for the help =) Still co-written with Sha22

* * *

 **Chapter 3: a Clint Eastwood movie**

"What?" Santana said from behind her. "Give me that!" She took the newspaper from Rachel's hands. "No freaking way, what the …"

"Santiago, what are you doing here with the Bercoran lady? Did your father send you?" A voice interrupted them from behind.

Both girl turned around and looked at the small brown-haired man in front of them. The Latina cleared her throat. "Excuse me?"

"I'm not sure Mr Cruz would be happy to hear his son is wasting his time in town instead of taking care of the Ranch." The man stated judgingly. "Ms Bercoran, I just went to your mother's shop, she is looking for you."

Santana opened her mouth to reply but Rachel cut her off. "Of course mister, I am going right away." The man nodded his goodbye and walked toward his horse.

"Who the fuck is he? Why did he call me Santiago? Ms Bercoran? Since when do you have a mom?" The former cheerleader fired questions without waiting for an answer.

"I don't know, Santana, we are in the same boat here. I have to admit that for once in my life I have no idea what's going on."

The Latina sighed. "So what do we do?"

The diva raised her eyebrow. "So now there is a 'we'?"

The tan girl shrugged. "Well compared to all these people, you almost seem normal and that says something."

"Are you incapable of saying nice things to people?" The petite girl asked tiredly.

"If you have a problem you can leave." Santana scowled.

"Oh really? And where should I go, Santana?" Rachel snapped. "If I'm not mistaken we've ended up in 1880 for no good reason after reading a simple inscription on a wall."

The raven-haired girl crossed her arms. "An inscription you started reading out loud!"

"And you finished it!" The Jewish girl cried.

The Latina scoffed. "Whatever. Just… Shut up and do something."

"Why me?" The brunette crossed her arms too and glared.

"Because this is your fault!" The taller girl growled. "And besides, aren't you the one with perfect grades in History? You should know how things work in the 1800's!"

"I sat next to you a few times in classes, Santana, I know you have good grades too." The diva pointed out.

"That's so not the point!" Santana yelled. "God, you're so…" She stopped talking when she saw some people staring at them. She grabbed Rachel's forearm and dragged her into the nearest alley.

"Santana, let me go in this instant!" Rachel spat as she tried to pull her arm out of Santana's grip.

"People are staring at us." Santana let go of the diva's arm. "We have to be careful and start thinking about what we should do."

"Well we should…" The petite girl started but stopped abruptly, looking wide eyed in front of her.

The Latina looked at her expectantly but when Rachel showed no sign of talking again, she followed her gaze. To say what she saw in the reflection of the shop window was a surprise would be an understatement. Her reflected image wasn't the one of a girl with beautiful curves and raven hair but the one of a handsome man with short dark hair and a small scar on his right eyebrow. His eyes were the same as hers. "What…"

"I… We…Why are we…" The brunette stuttered, still shocked.

The sound of Rachel's voice pushed Santana to look at the girl's reflection. She saw a girl short like Rachel but she had dark blonde hair tied up in a braid and hazel eyes. What caught the former cheerleader attention was her nose, it was exactly the same.

Rachel finally broke out of her torpor and cleared her throat. "How can we have different reflections if we see each other as who we are?"

"I… I don't know…" The tan girl paused to look at herself in the shop window. "God, I'm a dude! This is so fucked up!"

"That is why this man called you Santiago earlier!" Rachel exclaimed as realisation hit her.

"I'm a dude…" The raven-haired girl mumbled. "Why am I a dude?"

The diva rolled her eyes. "Can you say something else?"

The Latina frowned. "Easy for you to say, you look like a character from the freaking little house on the prairie!"

The petite girl smiled sympathetically. "You should look at the bright side, you know, men are treated way better than women here."

"And how is that any different from the 21st century?"

The brunette nodded. "Good point… But I think this little debate on the evolution of feminism can wait until we are back in the right era, don't you agree?"

"Whatever, Midget, don't act like we're friends…" Santana looked once again at her reflection. "Why are we the only ones unable to see…" She pointed at the window. "That."

"I honestly don't know…" The Jewish girl admitted. "But we need to find out soon if we want to go back in 2011."

"For once I agree with you."

"So nice of you…" Rachel replied sarcastically. "What do we know so far?"

"Humm…" The raven-haired girl paused to think. "My name or the dude's name, I don't know how to say it, is Santiago. The gnome said…" The singer looked at her with a pointed look but the former cheerleader carried on. " _The gnome_ said I was the daughter, well no, the son… god it's complicated… The son of Mr Cruz so I guess that's my last name…"

The diva crinkled her nose. "Right, I am going to ignore your blatant discrimination about people of short size and move on."

The tan girl smirked. "He's shorter than you. I never thought it was possible. You should create a club."

"I'll have you know that you are not much taller than me, Santana. That being said, let's focus on our situation. We also know you live on a ranch. If we heard correctly my last name is Bercoran and I have a mom who owns a shop. I guess the best plan of action right now is to find my mom's shop, well, I mean Mrs Bercoran's shop…" The brunette sighed, massaging her temples. "You are right, this is really confusing…"

"Why are we looking for information on you first?" The Latina frowned, clearly unhappy.

"Do you know where the ranch is?" The petite girl questioned simply.

"No, but…"

"That's what I thought" Rachel cut her off quickly. "This town is small; it won't be hard to find the shop."

Santana growled. "I want to hurt you so bad right now, dwarf!"

"I suggest you refrain yourself to do such a thing, Santana. You asked me to do something, this is me doing something." Rachel stated. "And I don't like it either but we can't trust anyone but each other at the moment."

"You are so not helping…"

* * *

They walked around for a few minutes until they spotted Mrs Bercoran's shop. Santana tried to convince Rachel to scope out the shop before going in but the diva refused, stating it was a good for her acting skills to do an improvisation exercise.

Once Rachel stepped inside, she was greeted by a small woman, who according to the Latina looked like Jodie Foster in her young age.

"Michelle! Finally, I was waiting for you. You need…" The woman stopped when she saw Santana behind her daughter. "Oh Mr Cruz, I didn't see you there. Did you come for your father's order?"

"I, hum…" Santana knew she was an expert in lies but it seemed that being called Mister was too disturbing to her to stay focused. Thankfully, Rachel jumped in the conversation.

"Yes. I saw Santa… Santiago." The diva quickly corrected herself. "…Outside and offered to help him with his order." With her acting skills, it wasn't a problem to improvise but it was weird to call Santana by a boy's name because she didn't look like a boy at all.

The Latina stood there in the middle of the shop while Rachel went behind the counter. The diva's confidence seemed to stop as she looked helplessly around to find what she needed.

"What are you doing?" Abigail Bercoran asked. "Mr Cruz's order is in the back. Hurry up, I'm sure Santiago has other things to do."

The brunette nodded and made her way in the back. Thankfully, she rapidly found the box with the name written on it and hurried back into the store. She'd have time to check the place later. She gave the box to Santana and was about to leave the shop to help the Latina find the ranch but her 'mother' stopped her.

"Michelle, where are you going? You've already been gone for a couple hours without telling me, I need your help here." Mrs Bercoran said annoyed.

"I, hum, I'll be right back." The petite girl pushed Santana toward the door, so they could talk without being heard.

* * *

Once outside, the tan girl glared at the diva. "You are not leaving me alone, Berry! I have no idea where I'm supposed to go and you said you'd help me after finding the shop!"

"Lower your voice." Rachel demanded. "I know and I am sorry but I don't really have choice right now. We are supposed to act normal, even if we have no idea of what's going on and to whom the bodies we are in belong. You need to find your ranch and get as much information as you can."

"And then what? How are we supposed to contact each other, it's not like our cell phones are working." The taller girl pointed out.

The diva sighed wearily and thought about their possibilities. "Stay there, I'll say I forgot to give you a part of your order and I need to deliver it to you."

"You don't know where it is either!" The Latina snapped. "And what if Jodie Foster doesn't let you?"

The brunette rolled her eyes. "Well if it's not today, I'll try again tomorrow."

"What?" Santana's eyes went wide. "Tomorrow?"

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you're scared and don't want to be away from me." The Jewish girl tried to fight her smile. She had never seen the girl scared before.

The raven-haired girl scoffed. "Whatever, if something happens to me, I'll come back and hunt you down."

"Santana, I'm confused and scared too but…"

"I'm not scared!" The taller girl exclaimed.

"If you say so… But if we don't want to be in trouble, we have to lay low, at least until we know more about this… Take it as an acting exercise." Rachel added.

"Are you enjoying this?" The Latina frowned. "Because I'd expect you to freak out and not play Laura Ingalls."

"As if I would give you the satisfaction to see me cry so you can mock me even more later." The petite girl retorted.

Santana was about to answer when they heard Abigail shout. "Michelle!"

"I have to go." The diva said apologetically.

"So you'll join me tonight?" The tan girl inquired. It was like Rachel was her favourite person in the world but like it or not, they were on the same boat right now and she didn't really want to be alone and stuck with all the hillbillies from the old west.

"Yes, I'll do my best." The brunette assured. "And Santana?"

Santana warily glanced around her, already trying to figure out what to do next before looking at Rachel "Yeah?"

"Please be careful. This is not McKinley or 2011, things can go downhill quickly." Rachel warned her.

"No shit!" The Latina started to walk away when the diva called her again. She turned around, ready to ask what she wanted when felt the girl's body crashed against hers, hugging her tightly.

"Please, whatever happen, don't leave this place without me." The petite girl whispered.

Santana scoffed as she quickly broke the embrace. "If that were an option I would be out of here in a heartbeat. And don't ever do that again. We're still not friends."

Rachel glanced at her sadly before turning around and walking toward the shop.

Before the brunette could step inside, the Latina called her name. "Berry?" The diva turned back and looked at her. "I won't leave you. Be careful."

"Thanks. Good luck!" The diva smiled before going back to the shop.

* * *

Once alone, Santana glanced around her, wondering where to go from now. She sighed. _'Fuck my life, is this a nightmare? Or worse, Hell, payback for all the bad things I did. But why would Rachel be with me? She's always there, smiling and singing and talking about rainbows and shit. Urgh… What am I supposed to do now? And all this happened because of a quote? For real? I knew this weekend would be a disaster…. And now Rachel is playing the perfect daughter and I'm on my own. 'Let's start with the shop, Santana. we don't know where the ranch is, Santana. I'll help you find it after, Santana.' Ppsstt, you clearly won't help me do shit dwarf!'_ She sighed again before setting off walking.

"Santiago, why are you leaving without your horse, is he sick?" A cowboy asked.

The Latina blinked, looking at him before looking at the horse the man pointed out to her. "Hum… No. I just wanted to check something…" She didn't really know how she was supposed to act or talk around these people so she was trying to keep it to a minimum.

The man nodded. "Alright. I need to see your father, do you know if he's at the ranch?"

"I don't know." The tan girl just wanted to go there, or well, not that she wanted to but she needed to go there to find more clues about what the hell was happening.

"Mind if I join you for the ride?"

The raven-haired girl sighed in relief, she wouldn't have to go around aimlessly to find the place, all she'd have to do was to follow the man. "No." She approached her horse, thankful Brittany insisted they do horse riding while they were together, it meant she wouldn't look too out of place, at least, for that. She mounted her horse and nodded at the man, following him as they rode toward the ranch.

* * *

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _A/N 2: Someone brought to my attention that I needed to clarify a few things for this chapter so here it is. This is not a g!p story at all, but more like a body switch to right a wrong. For the 90's kids like me, it's kind of like 'Quantum Leap'. People see them as a certain way but their body is the same._


	4. Howdy

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee

 **Chapter 4 : Howdy**

* * *

Rachel felt completely lost in her 'mother's shop. She had no idea what she was supposed to do. She had never worked during summer, preferring to work on her artistic skills rather than make money that she didn't really need.

Abigail Bercoran had asked her to help a customer and the woman was more than picky on what she wanted. It took the diva way to long to find everything the lady needed and she couldn't help but sigh in relief when she finally left the store.

The brunette was about to check the back shop when a tall young man called her name.

"Michelle!" The brown-haired boy smiled.

"Hello." Rachel greeted hesitantly. "May I help you?"

"Hum, just an apple." Cole Flint answered. The petite girl nodded and moved to grab the fruit. "How are you doing?" He asked

"Good." Rachel glanced at the man, it seemed like this Michelle and him were friends or he wouldn't keep smiling and following her around. "How are you?" Maybe she could obtain information from him.

Before the man could answer, Abigail approached them. "Cole! It is always a pleasure to see you."

"Likewise Mrs Bercoran." Cole replied with a smile.

"I miss having you around. I keep telling my daughter she shouldn't have let a good man like you go. You are always welcome here." Mrs Bercoran patted his shoulder before going to the back-shop.

The Jewish girl stared mouth opened at the scene in front of her. It was clear now that Michelle was more than friend at some point with this Cole. She cleared her throat and said. "Do you need something else?" She handed him the apple as he gave her the money.

"Yes, I was hoping you would accompany me to the fair next week?"

"Hum…" Rachel didn't know what to say, it was clear her improvisation skills wouldn't be enough in this place…

"As friends. You said we could still be friends." The tall man rushed to add.

The diva didn't want to go to a fair, she wanted to go home, to her own century. "I'm not sure it's…"

"Is this because of Santiago Cruz?" The brown-haired man cut her off.

"Why would it be because of Santa… hum… him?" The brunette corrected herself. It was going to be hard to talk about Santana as Santiago.

"I'm not a fool!" Cole said coldly with anger in his eyes. "I saw you hug, since when are you hugging men in the middle of the street? And since when is he your friend?"

"Shh… He helped me with something; I was just showing him my gratitude." The petite girl improvised. She would have to be more careful in the future about how she acted. They were in the 19th century; people had strict rules about how men and women should interact in public. A friendly hug or simple kiss on the cheek could be frowned upon.

"That's not how a lady should behave and I know men like him, you should stay away from him." The man stated.

"Cole. I am my own person and I don't need advice on how to be a lady, especially from a man…"

"What are you saying?" Cole interrupted her again. "You sure are acting strange today."

"I'm sorry but I need to help my mother. Have a nice day, Cole." Rachel rushed toward the back shop. This was a nightmare, she and Santana really needed to figure out a way to leave and soon.

* * *

Santana finally arrived at the ranch and was welcomed not so nicely by Santiago's father. He was mad at his son for taking so long in town. Without knowing how, the Latina ended up helping some workers to fix a fence.

 _'How the fuck did I end up here? I was supposed to sing at this damn event, not work at a farm! I spent 30 bucks on a manicure this week, these hands ain't made to carry things other than shopping bags! And if this douche has workers, why do I have to help? God, I hate my life right now.'_ Santana mused. She scanned the place around her, it was surrounded by fields. There were different barns for supplies and animals and on the side, a house. Suddenly, she saw a woman struggling to carry her bucket of water. She looked around to see if anyone was going to help and when no one seemed to move, she decided to go and help. It was still better than carrying boards around with people who look like they hadn't showered in a decade.

"Let me help." The raven-haired girl simply stated.

"Ohhh, Santo, you're sweet. Gracias, mijo." The woman smiled fondly at her before kissing her cheek. "Bring it to the kitchen, por favor."

The tan girl blinked, surprised by the woman's words. She was Santiago's mother. She was definitely nicer than the father. She smiled politely. "De nada." She followed the woman toward the house and dropped the bucket on the kitchen table.

Santana stood there for a while, watching the woman work around the kitchen. It reminded her of her mom. In this moment, she was missing her, she was sure she would know what to do in this situation, her mother always knew what to do. Her thoughts were interrupted by Mr Cruz stepping into the room.

"Santiago, que haces aqui? I told you to work on the fence!" The man shouted.

Santana's eyes went wide in surprise at the tone. She looked at Santiago's mother helplessly; she had no idea what to say.

"He was just helping me with something, Ricardo." Mrs Cruz said.

"Anita, not now." Ricardo glared at his wife before grabbing Santana by the arm and pushing her toward the exit. "Go work on the fence, it better be the last time I'm telling you this today."

The former cheerleader scowled but hastily walked away from the man. She had a feeling this Mr Cruz wasn't someone you wanted to mess with and it was better to stay away from him as much as possible.

* * *

Luckily for Rachel, later that day, Mrs Bercoran asked her to do a delivery so she didn't have to try and find an excuse to meet Santana. She had also found a map of the town under the counter with the Cruz's ranch on it. She might always rely on her GPS to reach her destination because her sense of direction wasn't what you could call the best but she guessed she didn't have a choice in this situation.

But when the diva walked out the shop box in hands, went to the side of the building and saw she had to use a carriage with a horse to travel, it was a complete different story.

Her eyes widened in horror. "Oh my god… I have to drive a carriage…" The brunette mumbled. Sure it was an ecologic way to travel but she would prefer her Prius right now. She approached the horse carefully, extending her hand slowly to let the animal familiarise with her sent. She might be vegan but she wasn't always comfortable around farm animals. She untied the horse and jumped on the carriage, keeping the reins in her hands. Everything went smoothly until she reached the end of the town. Rachel tried to go faster but the horse got out of control. In her panic, she yanked the reins harder the necessary, causing the animal to take off quickly and making her fall backward into the carriage.

The petite girl squealed. "Oh my god!" She struggled to stand. "Barbra, Patty, Julie, anyone, please come to my rescue!" She tried a few time to sit back before finally reaching the seat to control the horse as much as she could. It took her another 15 minutes to figure out how to properly control the animal but not before realising she had gone the wrong way. Rachel sighed tiredly; she wouldn't reach the ranch as fast as she thought…

* * *

Santana was finally done 'helping' with the fence, helping was a big word, she was just ordering people around and fake working when Ricardo was looking. The girl had thought she would be able to rest after but the man asked her to chop some woods.

The Latina was focusing on the log in front of her, trying to not miss it with her hatchet when she heard someone approach the ranch. She raised her head and saw a carriage stop at the gate. She smiled unconsciously when she recognised Rachel. She never thought she would be this happy to see the girl and yet, here she was. She kept the hatchet in her hands and walked toward the brunette.

"Howdy." Santana greeted her with a fake southern accent, tilting her hat. She leaned against the fence.

The diva laughed as she exited the carriage. "Why Santana, you should be careful, you are already talking like a perfect cowboy."

The Latina scoffed. "How did you find the ranch?"

"I found a map at the store and since Mrs Bercoran asked me to deliver some goods, I seized this opportunity to come and check on you. I have to admit driving this carriage is quite an adventure." The brunette explained.

The raven-haired girl nodded before glancing around. "We can't talk too much, this douche who's supposed to be my father has something of a temper, if he sees us talking…"

The petite girl frowned. "It's not going well?"

"Ohh peachy, really! I've been slaving away in this place since I arrived and now I have to chop wood. Do I look like a fucking lumberjack?"

"I'm sorry, Santana." The Jewish girl said, feeling genuinely sorry for the girl. She knew that Santana didn't get the easiest job working at the Ranch. At least, at the store, she could pretend to be working in the back-shop when they weren't any customers but the Latina couldn't do the same, especially if Santiago's dad wasn't an easy man. "If I can do anything to help, just…"

"Don't even finish Laura Ingalls." The tan girl cut her off. "I don't want your pity. I just want to go back to our time and fast." She didn't know how long she would be able to play this little act. She didn't care what would happen to these people. She needed her comfy bed, her big bathroom, her laptop, her car and her cell phone and definitely not steak on legs, horses and people with low IQ and hygiene standards.

"I'm just trying to be supportive." Rachel answered softly, careful not to upset the girl even more. It was clear Santana was having a bad day and she didn't want her backlash.

"Then find a way to leave this place." The former cheerleader insisted before looking around her again to make sure no one was watching. "Did you find anything yet?"

"I met a boy who seems to be Michelle's ex. I can't tell if I find him charming or despicable." The diva saw Santana roll her eyes but decided to ignore her. "I also met a few people from this town but I still haven't figured out how and why we were sent here."

Santana sighed tiredly. "We need more than that. I can't do anything right now but as soon as this prick leaves for the saloon, I'll search around the house if I can find anything on this family. I mean, why aren't we ourselves? There must be a reason we are living these guys lives."

The petite girl nodded. "You're right, I don't think it's a coincidence either." She paused to think until an idea popped into her mind. "Of course, the saloon!"

"What?" The taller girl looked at the diva confused.

"That's where everything started. The guide said it was the only original building from this town and we are clearly in the 1880 Glesswood. We were visiting the saloon before being, hum… teleported her, for lack of better word. So we should start our research there." The brunette decided.

The tan girl raised her eyebrow. "Searching for what exactly?"

"Any information we could use on Michelle, her mother, I don't know where her dad is, no one mentioned anything so I'll need to focus on that later." The Jewish girl made a mental note before continuing. "Info on Santiago, the Cruz family… Unfortunately Google hasn't been invented yet so our only way to obtain information for now is by the gossip mill…"

"Okay, we'll go there tomorrow." The raven-haired girl stated.

"Santana, I can't…"

"Oh my god." The Latina rolled her eyes. "What better things could you have to do in the meantime? Knit?"

"First I'd like to mention that I don't like your tone and secondly, we might both be women but people see you as Santiago, a man, which means you are the only one allowed in the Saloon." Rachel pointed out.

Santana growled. "Great, so I get cast as the Mexican ranch hand cos I'm Latina? My family is from Puerto Rico! How racist is this mystical casting department!? And to top it all, I am a dude!"

"Yes, I think I get it by now with how many times you've mentioned it." It was the diva's turn to roll her eyes.

"God, I want to hurt you again…" The taller girl declared, raising the hatchet and putting it on her shoulder.

The diva's eyes widened as she took a step back. "Please don't, if you kill me I'm sure you'll stay stuck here forever. We might not know a lot but we arrived here because we read the quote together, which means we have to do something else together to leave."

"Don't be so dramatic…" The former cheerleader was about to add something but noticed some workers were looking at them. "I need to start working again so we'll have to meet later."

"Come and find me once you've visited the saloon."

The Latina shook her head. "I'm not sure it's a good idea for people to see us together."

"Santana, this is not McKinley, I don't see the problem…"

"Well of course you don't see the problem, you're this perfect little white girl in a goody two shoes dress." The tan girl interrupted. "If you haven't noticed, we are Mexicans, there is a big chance three quarter of the town hate us. If they see us hanging out together too much, they'll start talking and I'm not sure we want to find out what will happen when they voice their disapproval." Santana explained.

The brunette crinkled her nose. "Oh…"

"Yes 'oh'. Racism isn't a new disease of the society." The raven-haired girl sighed. "So we should meet somewhere out of sight, preferably at the end of the day, it's easier to sneak around at night."

"You're right… But where?" Rachel suddenly remembered seeing an abandoned barn between the town and the ranch. "Do you remember seeing an old empty barn when you arrived here?"

"That old pile of wood on the side of the road? Yeah."

"We could meet there." The petite girl offered. "It's midway between the ranch and the shop."

"Okay, we'll meet there tomorrow, once the sun is down. Now you should go…"

"See you tomorrow." The diva smiled before adding. "And Santana?"

"What else, Midget?"

The brunette ignored the nickname and said. "Nothing, just be careful."

"Yeah, you too…"

* * *

Rachel quickly went back to shop after that. She helped her mom close the place and prepare dinner. They ate in relative silence and for the first time in her life, she was grateful for that. She had too much on her mind and even if she didn't, she wouldn't know what to say without sounding strange.

Once she was done with the chores, the diva went to Michelle's bedroom. The room was small and poorly decorated. There was a bed with a wood box at the end of it, a dresser, a dressing table and a little desk with a chair.

The brunette sighed; it was nothing like her room and she didn't think she could practice her singing exercises. She couldn't help but feel saddened by that. She wanted to go back to her time and see her dads and her friends… She sat downcast and looked around her. Since it was still early and she had nothing to entertain herself, maybe she could search the room to gather more information about the situation. She couldn't understand how a weekend with the glee club ended up with Santana and her travelling back in time and living the lives of strangers. It didn't make any sense and this wasn't a sci-fi movie, time travelling wasn't real or so she thought….

Rachel stood up and started searching the desk. In the drawers, there were notes and receipts, nothing really useful at the moment. She moved to the dressing table, there were a hairbrush, a comb and other hair accessories. Still no luck there... She glanced around her again until her eyes fell on the wooden box. She kneeled down in front of it and opened it. She slowly removed books and toys and finally found something interesting. It was a small notebook, with Michelle written on the first page. It must be the girl's journal. There were a few others but this one seemed to be the most recent.

The petite girl hesitated for a while, after all it was prying into Michelle's life but she decided to read it anyway, desperate times call for desperate measures. She settled in bed and started reading some pages. From what she could read, the girl was sweet and passionate; they had a few things in common. It could explain why she was in this particular 'body' but not the rest. Rachel's heart broke a little when she read Michelle's dad had been killed years ago and how she was still missing him. The girl's mother had managed everything since but Michelle found her more tired than usual. The diva skipped a few pages; she'd have time to read them later for more details, now she needed other information. She quickly found an entry talking about Cole. Michelle was talking about how the man used to be sweet and kind but since his father got sick, he changed. He felt it was his responsibility to take care of his family and became cold and distant. The girl also explained how she didn't want to get married so young and wanted to do something other than manage the shop with her mother even though no one cared about her opinion on the matter.

On one of the latest pages, the brunette noticed Santiago's name. Intrigued, she read with more attention. **_'Mother sent me to the Cruz ranch today to deliver their order and of course the boy was there. He is so infuriating, always mocking my attire and commenting on my stature. He thinks he is better than me because of his family money but he is not. Sometimes, he behaves as if his only pleasure in life is to cause me irritation. I would like to wipe the smile right off his handsome face.'_**

Rachel raised her eyebrow. She wasn't the only one who had points in common with the person she was 'impersonating'. Santiago had some resemblance with Santana. The diva read again the last part; the girl thought Santiago was handsome. She giggled despite herself but a knock on the door quickly interrupted her.

"Michelle it's late, you should be sleeping. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow." Abigail said from the other side of the door.

The petite girl sighed; she guessed the rest of her reading would have to wait…


	5. The Old West

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.

A/N: Dr Quinn is not that same as the character in the tv show, it's just a little homage and a link to the glee character.

* * *

 **Chapter 5: The old west**

Santana had spent her first morning at the ranch helping Santiago's dad, it had been long and excruciating, more proof she wasn't made for a manual job.

Luckily Ricardo had a 'business meeting' in a nearby town and wouldn't be back until the next day. It was the perfect opportunity to sneak around the property.

The Latina started with a tour of the different barns but there wasn't anything interesting there. Then she moved to the house, careful not to be seen by the workers or Santiago's mom. She began with the first floor, the place was big and there was a lot to cover which meant no time to waste. She had a perfect method to do things faster; it was a 3 point system: open the door, scan the room and leave if nothing interesting caught her eye.

Despite being a big house, there wasn't any important thing to see, just a bunch of paintings and old vases. Granted it looked expensive for this era but still, it looked like her abuela's attic and she knew the woman got most of her things in yard sales.

The Latina searched a few other rooms until she found what looked like an office, probably Ricardo's. She went to the desk and rummaged through the drawers.

After a few minutes, Santana found notes explaining how Ricardo's father had fled Mexico with his wife and son and settled in Glesswood. She put the notes back and kept searching.

In the last drawers were some correspondence, letters from Ricardo to his family. Skimming through them gave the Latina a few interesting bits of information on the Cruz. When Ricardo was old enough, he went to California to find gold and when he finally found some, he came back and bought the ranch. The family was 'respected' in the village because of their wealth and the number of people they employed at the ranch but it was clear that most of the people in town were only tolerating them.

The raven-haired girl shook her head. "Fucking racists…" She put away the letters and started searching another drawer. There were some newspaper articles but nothing really helping her figuring out why she was suddenly a 'Mexican dude' in 1880. She sighed, she had been in the office for a while now, and it could become suspicious if she stayed longer.

The tan girl exited the room and went to Santiago's bedroom. She remembered finding a revolver there and wanted to test it. If she had to be stuck in the role of cow-boy and wear these 'old' clothes, she could at least try to enjoy the 'fun' side of it. She grabbed the weapon and made her way outside.

* * *

Once Santana gathered a few empty bottles from around the place, she walked toward the field. She aligned the bottles on the fence and walked away, stopping at a safe enough distance.

After checking the revolver and the ammo, knowledge gained courtesy of Puck and his cousin, the Latina aimed at the first bottle and shot. She was surprised by the strength of the kick back and missed the bottle but for her next try, she anchored her body better and hit the bottle right in the middle. She smiled proudly. "Bouyah, I'm the biggest badass bitch in the old west."

When the tan girl shot the last bottle, she approached the fence to check if she could use some of them as targets again. She reached a bit too quickly for one and the sharp piece of glass sliced her right hand open. "Ouch, fuck." She looked at the wound; it seemed pretty deep and kept bleeding. "Oh god…" She swallowed hard. "I think I need a doctor." She glanced around her. "And of course it happens when I'm in the 19th century and in the middle of dung town. Great, it keeps getting better, fuck my life." She grabbed the bandana around her neck and carefully wrapped it around her hand. "God, it hurts."

Santana rushed back to the house and into the kitchen, grabbing the pitcher of water and pouring some of it onto her hand to clean the wound and get a better view of it. Santiago's mother entered the room at the same time and stood behind her. "Dios mio, Santo, que paso?"

"Nothing, just cut myself on a bottle." The former cheerleader said quickly, not wanted to worry the woman.

"It looks deep; you should go in town and see the doctor, mijo." Anita stated.

"I'm not sure I can." Santana had no idea where it was and she wasn't in the mood to ride her horse to town.

"Pablo will bring you there with his carriage, we can trust him. Let me call him." Mrs Cruz left the kitchen and Santana stood there, applying pressure to her hand and waiting for this Pablo guy.

If Santana was home, her mom would have made sure she was okay and driven her to the nearest hospital to get treated. She was missing home even more now…

* * *

Half an hour later, Santana arrived in town. Pablo stopped the carriage in front of a little building at the end of the street and led her to the door. The man knocked on the door and waited. The Latina raised her eyebrow, was there a real doctor in this joint? Because she wasn't in a mood for a consultation with a charlatan who got his degree in a lucky pocket. However, her eyes went wide when an attractive young woman opened the door with a smile on her face. She was pretty good in history and her dad was a doctor, she knew they weren't a lot of those in the 1900's.

"Yes?" The woman said.

Pablo nodded as he removed his hat. "Afternoon, doctor Quinn, I'm here for Mr Cruz, he hurt himself."

The tan girl chuckled at the name. "No way! Ha! Dr Quinn!" Even though the girl didn't look like Quinn, she was still blonde and had this 'I'm perfect and way better than you' aura surrounding her.

The green eyed girl looked at her questioningly. "Did you hurt your head, Santiago? It's me, your friend Mary."

"Mary?" The tan girl laughed despite the pain. "Even better, it fits perfectly."

The doctor frowned. "Excuse me?"

"Because, well, you know?" The raven-haired girl saw Pablo and the blonde were staring at her and decided to shut her mouth. She was supposed to lay low and act as if she was Santiago, not herself. Besides, it seemed like the boy was friendly with the doctor which could complicate things even more… "Erh, nothing. Never mind…" She removed the bandana around her hand and showed the wound. "I cut myself with a bottle, but I'm sure it's not that bad, don't worry, Quinn."

The blonde's frown deepened. "Why are you calling me Quinn and not Mary?"

Santana sighed. "Whatever, Mary, can you fix it or not."

"You are a in a terrible mood. But yes, come in, I'll take a look." Mary thanked the man and led Santana inside. "So how are you?"

The Latina sat on the exam table and waited for the woman to wash her hands. "Hum, if I ignore that fact that my hand is bleeding, good."

"I know it's hard for you lately with your father breathing down your neck but we are friends, I'm here for you if you need anything." Dr Quinn stated.

The former cheerleader looked at the girl from head to toe. She was clearly older than Rachel and her but she seemed to be nice. She wondered how Santiago and her became friends. At first sight, it didn't look like that had anything in common. Maybe it was because they were both outcast for different reasons, just like in glee.

Mary sat on the stool next to her and looked at her hand. "You need stitches." She stood up to gather what she needed.

"Great, this time travel shit couldn't get better…" Santana muttered.

* * *

Rachel had helped Mrs Bercoran at the shop all morning, arranging the fruits and vegetables and serving customers. She still didn't know what to do half the time but at least she was starting to find her bearings in the place.

In the afternoon, Abigail asked the diva to settle in the back-shop and patch some clothes for her. The first thing that came into Rachel's mind was the fiasco of her lady gaga costume and how she had to ask Shelby for help. The problem here was that she couldn't exactly ask anyone for help, Santana and her were stuck in the past, leading other people's lives and unlike her, this Michelle was apparently able to sew.

The petite girl sighed, she had been trying to patch the same shirt for the past two hours and it was clear it wasn't going anywhere. She needed a break. She made her way to the front and pretended sorting articles on the shelves. She had never been a slacker but she had too much on her mind to focus on anything and she couldn't even sing to relax. She had been able to read a bit more of Michelle's journal and it was becoming more confusing than helpful.

A few months before Santana and her were sent in 1880, Michelle had started writing less and less about Cole and more and more about Santiago. The girl had written a few pages about how God seemed to have a weird sense of humor because it was like Santiago and her kept bumping into each other. But lately the boy had been nicer to her, maybe in subtle way but it was there. Santiago even helped her carrying some boxes once. It was clear Michelle didn't know if the boy was playing her or if it was a true change of heart but even though she tried to fight it, she liked these moments with him. It sounded sweet and yet frustrating at the same time.

The Jewish girl sighed, she wanted answers and she wanted them now. She needed to know what happened to them, why and how they could reverse it. Nothing made sense and being away from Santana was making it harder to find a solution because no matter the how or why, she was sure of one thing, they were together in this. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard two customers mentioned Santiago's name.

"The Cruz son arrived an hour ago with a bleeding hand and was rushed to Dr Quinn's office. I wonder what he did this time." The taller woman said.

The other woman shook her head. "God knows what those people do at that Ranch…"

Rachel gasped despite herself. Santana hurt herself, she had to check on her. They had been there for only and things were already going downhill. Without thinking, she rushed out of the shop and into the street. She looked around her, she had no idea where the doctor's practice was. She walked down the street until she saw a plaque with Doctor written on it.

The diva didn't take the time to inspect the place more and barged inside without knocking, stumbling into a blonde woman applying a bandage to Santana's hand. "Oh, I… I was just... I heard…" She stuttered. This wasn't what she expected, she thought she would have stepped into some sort of waiting room and would wait there and she was definitely not expecting this woman to be Dr Quinn.

"Rach…" Santana quickly corrected herself. "Michelle, what are you doing here?" She might be glad to see the girl, well just a bit, but despite Santiago and Mary being friends, this might look weird and right now, she was short of excuses.

Mary looked surprised but smiled kindly. "Ms Bercoran, I wasn't expecting you today."

"My apologies, I didn't mean to be rude. I was just…"

"Obviously worried about Mr Cruz here. I'll give you two a moment. I need to clean my material, I'll be right back." Dr Quinn winked at Santiago before exiting the room by another door.

"Okay, what the fuck was that?" The Latina frowned before glaring at Rachel. "And what the fuck are you doing here? Do you want to get us all in troubles? You can't barge here like it's the choir room and you're the glee princess."

"I heard you got hurt and I didn't think…" Rachel tried to explain.

"Well, clearly you didn't." The tan girl interrupted. "It seems like Santiago and blondie are friends but we still have to be careful. It's like people in this town are worse for gossip than Kurt and Mercedes."

"Are you okay?" The diva asked, coming closer to girl. "What happened?"

The raven-haired girl shrugged like it was nothing. "I was just shooting some empty bottles and cut myself on one…"

"What? Why were you using a gun, it's dangerous!" The petite girl cried.

"I need something to entertain myself or it won't be empty booze bottle I'll shoot!" The former cheerleader rolled her eyes. "But it's whatever, Quinn fixed it."

"Quinn?" Rachel raised her eyebrow. The doctor last name was Quinn, it didn't click right away.

Santana chuckled. "Yes, Dr Quinn, can you believe that?! And her name is Mary! It's hilarious."

The brunette crinkled her nose. "This is weird, yes… But it doesn't change the fact that you need to be careful."

The taller girl scoffed. "This is the Old Wilde West, not Disneyland, midget, so shut up."

"You're infuriating." The diva growled. "I don't even know why I bother…"

"Because you need me right now and trust me the feeling is shared." The tan girl stated.

The Jewish girl sighed wearily, deciding to change subject. "Did you go to the saloon?"

The raven-haired girl checked if the blonde was coming back. "I was supposed to but this happened." She lifted her hand to make a point. "So I'll go tomorrow."

The petite girl nodded. "Okay, in the meanwhile, you should rest. We need you in one piece if we want to leave this place." She ended up in a whisper. "Are we still meeting tonight?"

"Yes, now leave Laura Ingalls before people start asking questions we don't have answers for." Santana ordered.

Rachel moved forward and hugged her quickly. "For what it's worth, I'm glad you're okay."

"Yes, okay, great but what did I say about hugs?" The Latina pulled away. "We're not friends, don't do that. Now go."

The diva smiled before hastily leaving the practice.

* * *

The next day, Santana went to the saloon as planned. She knew she couldn't stay long because Ricardo was supposed to be back at the ranch soon and she was not in the mood to get a lecture from him. She ordered a whiskey and settled at a table, if she could enjoy herself while spying on people, even better.

The Latina glanced around her, it was pretty crowded. She brought her glass to her lips to taste her drink but almost spat it out. This thing wasn't whiskey, it was just surgical spirit. She coughed hard, trying to ignore the few people staring. After a few minutes of listening to some uninteresting talk, 5 men entered the saloon and settled on the table in front of hers.

The men chatted happily about their job until one said something to the taller one, mentioning Michelle's name. It picked her attention.

"So Cole, are you going to the fair with Michelle? What did she say?" A small dark haired man asked.

Cole sighed. "She's not sure but she's just confused. I'm sure she will quickly understand I'm her best chance to get married and have a good husband."

Santana raised her eyebrow. This guy was probably Michelle's ex that Rachel told her about. She could already say she wasn't a big fan.

The man continued. "After all, before me, no one really paid attention to her. But I'm not worried, if I keep being nice to Mrs Bercoran, she will probably push Michelle to marry me." He smiled. "I like her despite her weird personality and I want to marry her, it should be enough. She just needs to realise that she likes me too."

The tan girl scoffed. No wonder Rachel found him half charming half despicable, he sounded too much like Finn for her liking. She had a bad feeling as soon as she put her eyes on him but now that he opened his big mouth, it was even worse. She didn't know why but she felt pissed at the boy's statement.

John, the small man who had asked him the question nodded. "You are lucky to have your parents and Mrs Bercoran's support. I've been trying to court Ms Quinn for a while now but my parents don't want me to talk to her. And I don't know, it's like every time we talk, we end up fighting. I don't know if it's because she's passionate or just doesn't like me."

"Women..." A blonde man stated as he shook his head.

Santana snorted, these boys were pathetic but what she heard could still be helpful. She checked the time on her pocket watch, this thing was ugly but at least it was useful. It was late, she needed to go back to the ranch.

If Santiago's father was back, it might not be a good idea to sneak out tonight, especially if he questioned her about her hand wound. Santana walked toward the shop and we thankful to find Rachel there. She grabbed some fruit and made her way to the counter. She glanced around the shop before whispering. "I need to go back to the ranch but I heard some interesting thing about Michelle's ex and his friends. I can't meet you tonight because the prick is back but tomorrow night, at the barn, I'll explain everything." She gave Rachel some money before exiting the place and rode her horse back to the ranch.


	6. Their stories

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.

A/N: Do you guys like the story? Are you still interested in pezberry stories? Let me know...

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Their stories**

After spending the day at the shop for Rachel and working at the Ranch - although slowly because of her hand - for Santana, it was finally time for the girls to meet at their spot. Neither of them could have thought that one day, they would be eager to meet and talk about their day but the life in this era was hard and all they had was each other...

Rachel sneaked out of her room and walked as fast as possible to the abandoned barn. She sighed in relief when she saw Santana was already there.

"Took you long enough!" Santana greeted her. "Can't your short legs walk faster?" To avoid catching people's attention, they had both agreed to walk from their homes to the barn and not use horses.

"Always a pleasure, Santana." The diva deadpanned.

"Whatever, Midget." The Latina rolled her eyes. "So, what's up?" She leaned against the wall and started playing with the bullets on her belt. She had decided that since she was forced to wear this 'cowboy's outfit', she should keep the gun with her. Rachel lectured her for a while but in the end, she had dropped the topic.

"I didn't find a lot of new information about Michelle's father or anyone for the matter. Some details about Cole and hum…" The brunette trailed off.

"And?" The tan girl asked expectantly.

"And you… well Santiago." The petite girl corrected herself.

"Oh…" The raven-haired girl frowned. "What did you learn?"

"That lately the boy helped Michelle, nothing much…" The Jewish girl didn't want to share the details about the possible attraction the girl could have for Santiago, at least until she knew more about it. "What about you? What did you find out in the saloon?"

"That your ex…" The Latina stopped when she saw Rachel's raise her eyebrow. "That this dude, Cole, thinks he can have Michelle back and that he won't let it go until she agrees to marry him. He also went to go to the festival with you, well her."

"Yes, that's what I figured out too…" Rachel sighed. "Anything else?"

"There is this other dude, I didn't catch his name but it looks like he's in love with Dr Quinn or something. He said his parents are against it and he keeps fighting with her so he didn't know if it was just passion or simple hatred." Santana shook her head. "Those guys are pathetic and oblivious; I could almost feel sad for them if it wasn't..."

"Wait a minute." The diva interrupted here, suddenly struck with realisation. "Maybe that's the reason!"

The taller girl frowned. "What?"

Rachel started pacing the floor as the wheels in her head turned. "I kept focusing on the quote we read but maybe that's not it. Maybe it's about the tale the guide told us about."

"That cheesy story?" The tan girl scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous."

The petite singer stopped walking and looked at the Latina **.** "No, I'm serious." She insisted. "What if Dr Quinn and this guy are the couple from the tale and we are here to help them get together. Think about it, Mrs Harper said they were always fighting and people were against them being together, it could fit!"

"What, No! That's just a legend to entertain tourist." The raven-haired girl stared at the girl in disbelief. "And really, why us? Especially if we are playing someone else's life!"

"Because Santiago is friend with Dr Quinn and Michelle is connected to the boy through Cole." The brunette explained.

"You're crazy and it still doesn't answer why us?" The former cheerleader was starting to get frustrated. "We were just on a weekend with glee club!"

"Because we read the quote, maybe it activated something." Rachel offered. "Perhaps because we have things in common… I still don't know about that part but I'm pretty sure I'm right about the tale."

"I thought you said it has nothing to do with the quote." Santana raised her hands up in frustration. "Make up your mind!"

"Well I'm just like you, I'm trying to understand but at least it's a start." The petite girl declared. "Our presence here has something to do with the tale and we need to figure out why. And more importantly, how to go back to our time?"

The Latina stared at the girl for a moment. "Let's say you're right and I don't think you are but then I never thought I'd travel back in time so I'll bear with you for a minute. What do we do now?"

"We need more information, on Michelle, on Santiago and on their families. We also need to know more about Dr Quinn and Cole's friend." Rachel stated, trying not to smile at the fact that the Latina used 'we' like they were a team.

The taller girl sighed, running her hand through her hair. "How? All I found was some old letters and a few newspaper articles…"

The Jewish girl's eyes widened as an idea popped into her head. "The newspaper office! We should go there and search in the archives."

The tan girl nodded while thinking about a plan of action. "We can't go there during the day and bluntly ask for articles, it would look weird. We should just break in and search ourselves."

"No! We can't do that, that's breaking and entering, you said it yourself we can't get in trouble. What is wrong with you and acts of felony?" The diva cried. Santana completely ignored the girl and brushed past her toward the barn door. "Where are you going, Santana, come back in here!" Seeing the Latina wasn't listening, Rachel ran after her

"I'm going to the newspaper office. It's late and if we hurry, we won't get caught." Santana simply said as she begun walking in direction of the newspaper office.

"This is a terrible idea!" The petite girl exclaimed. "And you are right, it's late, which means it will get harder for me to sneak back into my room. It's already not something I'm used to doing and…"

"If that's the problem, don't worry, dwarf." The tan girl cut her off. "I'll help you with that; I have a lot of practice."

"Do I even want to know?" Rachel muttered.

The Latina rolled her eyes. "Whatever goodie two shoes, shut up and follow me."

* * *

Rachel and Santana finally reached the newspaper office after hiding to avoid people a few times.

Santana checked their surroundings and when she was sure there was no one in sight, she looked through the window to make sure no one was in there. She tried to open it but it was locked. She moved to the door. "Well I guess we need to break in, old fashion way. Give me a bobby pin." She extended her hand expectantly.

Rachel frowned. "I don't have bobby pin, Santana, we're in 1880, they haven't been invented yet."

The Latina rolled her eyes. "Thank you, Wikipedia." She sighed. "Alright, then we'll just have to improvise." She looked at the building. "Maybe I can jimmy the window or..." She stopped talking when she saw Rachel simply turn the doorknob and walk through the unlocked door. "Fuck."

The diva smiled proudly. "See? You don't always have to use the force; you can also use your brain."

"God, you're annoying when you do that." The taller girl growled as she followed the girl inside. She settled the lantern she had brought with them on floor so they could read.

The brunette huffed but didn't reply, making her way toward the archive section. The girls looked for almost 15 minutes before Rachel found an article on Michelle's dad. "It says Michelle's dad died during a robbery. At first they thought it was gang from a nearby town but it didn't lead anywhere." She paused to keep reading. "The culprit had never been found but later, some witnesses said it was a man, Mexican type…"

The tan girl scoffed. "Of course, let's blame the Mexicans." She moved close to the diva to read over her shoulder. "It says Santiago's father was interrogated but nothing came out of it." She shook her head. "No wonder this dude is bitter and hates this town if every time something happens, his family or friends are accused…"

"I'm sure Michelle knows the Cruz have nothing to do it." Rachel assured sympathetically.

Santana raised her eyebrow. "So?"

The diva cleared her throat. "Nothing…"

The raven-haired girl stared at her before reading some articles in her hands. "Okay so I found something about Quinn, well Mary. The town needed a doctor but no one wanted to settle here. Dr Quinn offered her services after being freshly graduated but she wasn't welcomed nicely due to being a woman. In the end since they couldn't find anyone else, they let her open her practice."

"Poor woman, this is admirable. She is clearly ahead of her time." The brunette declared.

"Yup. She…" Santana stopped when they heard voices approaching the office. They looked at each other in panic. "Fuck, are they coming here?"

"I don't know." The petite girl whispered.

No wanting to take any risk, the Latina turned the lantern off and rushed underneath the desk. "Hide!" Without thinking, Rachel crawled underneath the desk with Santana. "Did you have to come here with me?"

"Well sorry, Santana, I don't really have time to look around for a better place to hide!" The brunette whisper-yelled as she squeezed her body half on top of Santana's.

The former cheerleader sighed, trying to rest her back against the wood of the desk. "At least, could you avoid putting your boobs next to my face? It's not like they are big, it shouldn't be that hard."

"There is not a lot of space here and I don't think you really mind breasts next to your face." Rachel snapped as she tried to find a more comfortable position, forcing her to get even closer to the Latina. She was grateful for the fact that it was dark or else Santana would have seen her blush.

Santana scowled. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." The petite girl quickly said. "Now shush, the voices are coming closer."

The Latina glared at her but kept her mouth shut. They waited for almost 20 minutes for the people to walk away from the building and rapidly understood it was too late to continue their research now. The girls decided to call it a night and went back to their 'homes'.

* * *

A couple of days later, Rachel and Santana met as their usual secret spot like every night. Everyone in town had been pretty excited by the upcoming fair the next day and the girls thought it was a good opportunity to fish for information.

They both talked about their days and the information they obtained on the different people in town. After a while it was more Rachel rambling about some gossips. ""Well, Mr Duncan seems to have an eye for the ladies. Poor Mrs Duncan is either oblivious or has learned to ignore it. And don't even get me started on that lothario Sam Owens..." When she saw the Latina wasn't paying attention, she stopped talking. "Santana are you even listening?"

"Hmm?" Santana looked up at her, startled by the sound of her name. "Sorry, I was, er...Is Cole still bothering you about the fair?"

Rachel sighed. "He came by the shop everyday this week, trying to convince me to go with him to the ball. Abigail pushed me to accept his offer so I compromised. I told him I wouldn't go with him but we could meet there and have a few dances together."

"That's ridiculous; the guy is a douche and his friends too." The Latina exclaimed. "You should have just said no."

"He would have approached me at the fair anyway." The diva argued. "At least this way I have a say in it."

"You could pretend to be sick." The tan girl declared. "Aren't you supposed to be on Broadway at some point because your acting skills are lacking lately."

The petite girl glared at her and put her hand on her hip. "I'm going to ignore that comment because I don't want to fight after the exhausting day I have had. I just have a question though, why do you care?"

The raven-haired girl scoffed. "I don't. I just don't want you slapping the guy and bringing unnecessary attention on yourself." She threw down the hay and pulled at the hem of her jacket. "And I'll have company anyway…"

"Really?" The brunette raised her eyebrow. "You're going with someone?"

"Yes, is this so hard to believe?" The former cheerleader crossed her arms defiantly, her chin rising as if in challenge.

"No, of course not." The Jewish girl assured. "I'm just surprised; I didn't know Santiago had someone…"

Santana sighed as she removed her hat and ran her hand through her hair. "I already don't want to go to that stupid thing but with this chick, what's her name again? Rosa something, following me around, it's gonna be harder to get info." She put her hat back. "Santiago's dad organised this 'date' because he thinks and I quote 'It's about time his son finds a respectable woman to marry.'"

"Maybe Rosa is a nice girl, you could have fun." Rachel said supportively. "And I don't know about Santiago but who knows, she could be your type."

The Latina frowned. "What is that supposed to mean?" She questioned coldly

The brunette flinched slightly under the girl's tone. She hadn't heard it in the last few days. Sure they had bickered and snapped at each other but not like that. "Well, I mean, you could find her attractive and interesting. It's not because we are in the past that you can't have friendly moments or more with some people if you want to. I'm guessing that since Brittany, you are like me after Finn, a bit lonely sometimes."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" The tan girl snapped angrily. "I'm not lonely and you know nothing about what happened between Brittany and I so just shut the fuck up. It's not the first time you've made comments like that either, the next time I can't promise I won't punch you in the nose." She threatened before taking a deep breath to calm her anger. "So I'm gonna say this one last time, I'm not gay. Stay the fuck out of my business."

Feeling the situation quickly going downhill, the diva tried to reassure the girl. "Please Santana, I don't need the details to know that what you had with Brittany wasn't friendship, and it's okay. There is no shame in being gay and I am certainly not judging because as you know I have two dads and Kurt is also my best friend." She smiled kindly. "I think love goes beyond genders and you don't have to put a label on yourself if you don't want to. I know everyone figures out their sexuality at their own pace but when you are ready, if you need someone to talk to, despite us not being friend as you like to remind me, I'm here for you." She moved closer to the Latina to give her a friendly touch but Santana quickly snatched her hand away.

"I'm not you, Gayberry and if you're a carpet muncher, don't project it on me." The raven-haired girl roared. "I'm just seeing this girl because people think I'm a dude here. It's bad enough that I'm expected to fix fences and carry wood, pee in the bushes and wear the same shitty brown clothes every day, without being forced to take some ethnic chick to some stupid dance so my 'father' can get rid of his worthless, waste of space, disappointment of a son."

"Santana..."

"Just shut the fuck up, Berry. Stay the hell away from me and don't even try to talk to me at the dance. I'll find a way to leave this joint on my own." The Latina slammed open the barn door and rushed toward the ranch.

The brunette quickly ran after her. "Santana, wait! I didn't mean to upset you."

"Go to hell!" Santana shouted.

Rachel sighed as she helplessly watched the Latina move away from her. So much for not fighting…


	7. The couple in the picture

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.

A/N: Thank you for the reviews and support

* * *

 **Chapter 7: The couple in the picture**

The next day, Glesswood was more alive than Rachel had seen it all week. The town was especially decorated for the fair with lanterns and banners. There were some food stands and different activities people could do all day until the ball in the evening.

The diva couldn't wait for the day to be over. She hadn't slept much after her fight with Santana and she wasn't in the mood to talk to all these strangers and participate in the day's activities. She wanted to go home, to 2011 and just thinking about it made her want to cry.

The brunette took advantage of the general euphoria to look around and find information on Mary Quinn and Cole's friend who, she knew now, was called John but it was harder than she had thought. These two didn't seem to interact much and she might not be an expert in relationships but it didn't look like the doctor had any interest in the boy. Maybe it was a one sided love but she needed to learn more about them before drawing any conclusions.

Soon the evening came and it was time for the ball. Abigail had crafted a special dress for her to wear and although her sense of fashion might not be one of the best, it was a beautiful piece of clothing. It was like she had already seen the dress somewhere… It was light blue with a black fabric belt around the mid section and lace on the chest and the upper part of the gown **.** Her hair was loose and slightly curled. The girl sighed as she looked at her reflection. "You can do this, Rachel…"

* * *

Once Rachel reached the square where the ball was taking place, she sat at a table in the corner. It was easier to watch everyone from this spot and it would lessen the risk of people trying to talk to her.

15 minutes later, Santana showed up with a girl on her arms. It was clear by the frown on the Latina's face that she wasn't happy to be there either. The diva stared at them for a while, waiting for the perfect opportunity to accost her friend without Rosa. She knew the girl didn't want to talk to her but she hoped that with an apology, Santana would understand she wasn't trying to hurt her.

Rachel was about to stand up to talk to Santana who was finally alone when Cole approached her, a drink in hand.

The man smiled. "I brought you some lemonade." He sat next to her.

"Thank you, Cole." The brunette smiled politely, silently growling at the boy's bad timing.

"Do you want to dance now or wait?" Cole asked hopeful.

"I arrived not a long time ago; maybe we could wait for a bit…" The petite girl trailed off

The tall boy nodded. "Are you hungry? Do you want something?"

The diva sighed internally, she had a feeling the boy wouldn't leave her alone for the rest of the night. Sending him to get food might keep him away for a while. "Yes, I would love something to eat."

Cole grinned happily before leaving the table. As soon as he left, Rachel searched around for Santana, the girl wasn't alone anymore. "Great…"

* * *

Santana had never been so bored in someone's company before. For the past 2 hours Rosa had stayed mostly silent, only talking when asked a question and since she wasn't feeling really social today, or any day for the matter, the Latina didn't bother asking much. She had danced with the girl a couple times, desperately trying to kill time but she couldn't take it anymore.

The Latina had caught Rachel staring at her a few times but hadn't approached her yet. She had a feeling it had something to do with the giant always coming to her table. Even though she was still pissed at the brunette for butting into her business, spending time with her would still be better than what she was doing now. She waited for Cole to leave Rachel alone before approaching her. She stood beside the table and cleared her throat. "Michelle."

"Santiago." Rachel smiled. "Are you having fun?"

The tan girl scoffed. "As if…" She glanced around them. "Did you lose your watchdog?"

"Cole is talking to his friends right now." The diva stated. "What about your date?" She nodded in Rosa's direction.

The raven-haired girl rolled her eyes. "That chick is so boring, I really want to leave."

"I share the feeling." The brunette assured. "But it's still early; I don't think we should leave yet…"

Santana sighed. "So what…" She stopped talking when she saw Cole glare at her and come their way. She smirked at him, knowing it would annoy him even more. "Let's dance!" She grabbed Rachel's hand and forced her to stand, marching toward the dancing area.

"What? Santana, what are you doing?" The petite girl questioned confused as she hastily followed the girl. "People will talk…"

"I don't care right now." The Latina exclaimed, turning around and offering her hand as she waited for the girl to come closer. "I prefer that than dancing with this dumb chick. Besides, Sasquatch was coming toward us."

"Sasquatch?" Rachel asked as she stepped closer to Santana. The Latina gently grabbed her hands and put them on her shoulders before resting hers on her waist. Soon, they begun swaying with the music.

"Big and hairy Cole Flint!" The tan girl explained.

The diva giggled despite herself. "Santana, that's mean. People from the old west don't have the same hygiene and fashion standards as us."

Santana didn't know why but she found herself thinking of the word 'cute' when the brunette giggled. It didn't sit right and she decided to forget the feeling and continue. "Oh I know. But if you'd prefer to dance with him, be my guest." She raised her eyebrow and pulled away slightly.

"No, it's okay, I think I'll pass." Rachel answered, instinctively pulling the girl closer. "I've been avoiding this all evening." They fell into a comfortable silence, trying to ignore the people staring at them. "I can hear people whispering…"

"I know. Cole and Rosa are shooting daggers at us too." The raven-haired girl chuckled, having noticed the two of them glaring at them for a while now.

The diva smiled. She knew even though they were enjoying their time right now, there was still some tension from between them from the night before. It was best to bring up the subject and root out the evil. She cleared her throat. "Listen Santana, I'm sorry if I was out of line, yesterday. I really didn't mean to upset you and…"

"I'm still pissed at you." The former cheerleader quickly cut her off before she could start a rant. "And I wanted to throw things at you all evening but whether I like it or not, we need each other right now so I'll just keep cursing you in my head." She squeezed the diva's hand to let her know she wasn't done talking before taking a deep breath. "Besides, I know you figured it out when I sang Landslide and all but I'm just not comfortable about it yet…"

The brunette nodded. "I understand but like I said, once all of this is over, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here…"

The taller girl sighed. "Whatever, let's just dance."

* * *

As Rachel danced silently against Santana, she couldn't help but wonder why it felt awkward. Was it because they had a fight, or because they had never been this close before or as 'friendly'? She couldn't deny it was nice to dance with the Latina and she was surprised by how the girl managed to always smell good despite working all day at the ranch.

The petite girl was about to ask Santana if she wanted to keep dancing after when a man shouted "Smile for the picture." She barely got the time to register what was happening when a flash blinded them both. She blinked a few times, trying to get her sight back. She looked at Santana who seemed as confused as her in the moment before stepping away. She glanced around her, people still staring at them, before looking at her clothes and Santana's. "Oh my god…"

"What?" The Latina frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I think…" The brunette looked at Santana. "I think I just realised who the couple is."

Santana's frown deepened. "What?"

Rachel looked around at the curious townsfolk and did her best show smile before grabbing Santana's hand again and speaking through gritted teeth. "Just keep dancing. I need to think."

The latina placed her hand on her waist again and glanced nervously at her. "What the fuck is going on, Berry? You're really starting to freak me out. More than usual, I mean."

"Not now!" Rachel hissed back, her mind whirling. The fair, the lights, the outfits, the tiny stage behind her, it was suddenly all so familiar. She had only glanced at the picture and the quote beneath it briefly but all her years spent memorising scripts had paid off. She closed her eyes before quoting. 'This is the only picture of the tragic couple known to have existed and was taken at the town fair only weeks before their deaths. It is not known how the young ranch hand and the shop girl began their affair but what is certainly known is the events that lead to it's dramatic conclusion.'

"Okay, Berry, what did you just work out?" Santana whispered in her ear, leaning closer so people couldn't hear her.

"Us, Santana." The petite girl whispered back, her voice shaking as she pulled away slightly, fearful eyes scanning the watchful crowd around them. "Santiago and Michelle. They were the couple in the photo by the piano."

"What?" The diva felt Santana stiffen in her arms. "You saw a photo of us and what, just forgot?"

"It wasn't a photo of 'us', Santana." The brunette glared at her, affronted by the implication. "And in case you've forgotten we can't see what 'we' look like."

"But surely you know what 'you' look like?" The tan girl spat, turning her a little too roughly. "Aren't there mirrors in your place?"

"Not many, and they are not very helpful." The Jewish girl huffed. "For your information, Michelle's hair and face are quite different from mine!"

The raven-haired girl pulled back slightly and looked at her, her piercing gaze taking in every aspect of her face. "Then how do you look so good? I can't do anything with my hair…" Then she swirled the girl before pulling her back against her body.

Rachel was a little taken aback by the move. Their faces were inch apart now and dark eyes were looking right at her. "I…"

"Alright, that's enough, hombre." A rough voice said loudly as Santana was yanked away from the diva.

"Get your damn hands off me, cabrón." Santana spat, her voice a low growl as she turned to square up to Cole.

"Sure, when you get your filthy hands off my woman." Cole snarled back as he pushed the Latina.

Rachel quickly stepped in front her. "He's not doing anything. Please, Cole, go back to your table."

The tall man grabbed her forcefully. "Don't talk to me like that. I saw the way he was looking at you and how you were looking at him." He pulled her toward her. "You are already embarrassing yourself by talking to someone like him and now you are embarrassing me by dancing with him too. What do you think you're doing? You are mine." He tightened his grip her arm.

"You're hurting me." The brunette whimpered.

"Okay, let her go before I lose my patience." Santana pushed him away from the girl.

Cole moved forward to punch her but Santana swiftly avoided his fist before kicking him in the groin. The Latina smirked proudly but the man straightened his posture quicker than she expected and punched her hard in the face, sending her to the ground.

"Santana!" The diva kneeled down next to the girl, not realizing her slip up.

"Santana? Is this what you are calling him now? And you're telling me there is nothing going on?" The man shouted. "You should be with me!"

The Latina removed the blood from her lip before smirking. "Maybe she's with me because I'm better than you are in some specific area?" She winked and smirked proudly as the crowd gasped. She knew it was out of character and could get them both in trouble but she couldn't help it, she has always needed to have the last word.

Rachel gasped too as she glared at her. "He's joking, we are just friends." She rushed to say before things could get worse.

Cole's face turned red and rushed forward, kicking the Latina in the stomach.

The petite girl stood up and pushed him backward. "Stop it!"

The tall man moved forward again but John stepped in front of him at the same time.

"We have to go, the sheriff is here." John stated. Cole shot daggers at Santiago and Michelle before nodding and running away with his friend.

Rachel sighed in relief before wordlessly helping Santana stand up and leading her away from the judging eyes.

* * *

Rachel and Santana had rushed into the Mrs Bercoran's shop. The diva didn't know if Abigail was home or had seen what happened, it was safer there than at her 'home.' She asked the Latina to sit on the counter and looked around for something to clean the girl's cut. "Did you have to make that last comment? In case you forgot, we are in 1880 and we were attending a fair, this is not Mckinley with you trying to rule the hallways."

Santana chuckled. "Oh my god, his face was hilarious!"

"He kicked you!" The diva cried

"So worth it." The Latina stated proudly.

"You…" The brunette growled. "You are infuriating and reckless, has anyone ever told you that?" She grabbed a clean rag and some antiseptic before coming back to the Latina.

The raven-haired girl rolled her eyes. "Whatever, that dick started it." She opened her legs to allow Rachel to come closer.

The petite girl looked at the Latina's legs before looking at her. When Santana simply shrugged, she nodded to herself and stepped inside the Latina's personal space. She cleared her throat. "You know I don't condone violence." She poured some alcohol on the rag before lightly tapping the girl's lip.

The tan girl hissed in pain. "He was hurting you, I was just trying to help."

"Thank you for defending me, it was really sweet of you." The Jewish girl said honestly. "Though I'm surprised you admit it at loud…"

The former cheerleader scoffed. "I might be a bitch but we are teammates, it means something. I wasn't about to let him manhandle you." She saw Rachel grin and lifted her hand to prevent the girl from talking. "Don't even try to say anything…" Suddenly uncomfortable, she decided to change the subject. "So what's all this shit about Michelle and Santiago being the couple in the tale? And why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I have a photographic memory so I guess my mind stored the memory of this picture somewhere and when we found ourselves in the same situation as the couple, it struck me." Rachel explained, cleaning the blood on the rest of the girl's face.

Santana frowned. "That doesn't make any sense."

"Really? Because after what happened tonight, I'm pretty sure I'm right." The smaller girl insisted. "After checking the dates more carefully, I figured the most recent journal is missing but from what I read in the others, Santiago and Michelle didn't like each other. At least at beginning and then it slowly changed. I didn't think much of it at first, but now, it makes sense. Cole is the perfect jealous ex boyfriend and practically everyone in town disapproved and whispered when we danced together."

"Let's say you're right. Why us? Why send us back in 1880, living their lives?" The raven-haired girl inquired. "Don't say to help them get together because one, it would be easier to do it if we were ourselves or someone else in town and two, we hate each other. So the cosmic director of this shit kinda recruited the wrong people to play this Romeo and Juliet drama."

"I don't know yet but…" The brunette smiled shyly before looking at the Latina through her eyelashes. "I don't hate you."

Suddenly Mr Cruz burst into the shop. "Santiago!"

Both girls jumped in surprise. Santana quickly jumped off the counter and stepped in front of the brunette in a protective instinct she didn't know she had for the girl. "How did you find me?" She tried to stay calm and composed but her heart was racing against her ribcage. After witnessing a few outbursts the man had toward his employees, she had a bad feeling about what could happen…

"I saw you leave with this silly girl, I knew there was a big chance you might be here." Ricardo explained coldly. "Come with me."

The Latina shook her head. "No"

"Ven conmigo, ahora." Mr Cruz shouted before taking a deep breath.

The diva, feeling the tension, decided to jump in. "Mr Cruz, please."

The man looked at her with fury in his eyes. "For your own good, you should stay out of this. You are lucky your father isn't here anymore to see what you have become, he would be ashamed of you." He grabbed Santana by the arm and led her outside

The petite girl stepped forward as if she wanted to follow but Santana shook her head, a clear sign it wasn't a good idea.

* * *

Once in the alley, Mr Cruz didn't waste a minute to lecture his son. "What happened tonight is unacceptable. I expected my son to behave and enjoy the evening with a nice girl and instead I found you dancing with this… this Bercoran girl and fighting with Cole Flint."

"He started it!" Santana defended herself.

Ricardo raised his hand to stop her words. "Do you have any idea how precarious our situation is here? How all these people look down on us? I keep telling you to be careful, to know your place but you never listen, Santiago."

The Latina looked at Santiago's father in disbelief. "Know my place? We are just as good as they are, fuck these people! You have a fortune, you don't have to take shit from these backwards hicks, just be a man!"

Out of nowhere, Mr Cruz punched her in the guts. Santana fell to her knees as the hit took the air out of her lungs. The man gripped her jaw tightly. "Don't you ever disrespect me again or so help me God, I will..." He stopped when they heard a group of laughing people approach. "You will learn your place, Santiago and you will respect me. Do not dare step a foot in my house until you can behave like a decent man. You have brought shame on your family tonight." He looked one last time at his son before leaving.

Santana whimpered in pain, exhaling slowly as she held her stomach. She stood up with a bit of a struggle and dusted off her clothes before breathing out. "Son of a bitch…"

* * *

Rachel was cleaning the shop, trying to hide any trace of their passage when she heard someone open then close the door. She lifted her head and her eyes widened when she saw Santana. "Santana, what are you doing here? I thought you went back to the ranch with Mr Cruz."

Santana opened her mouth but nothing came out. The girl stood there in the middle of the shop. She was past the level of exhaustion and all she wanted was to crawl in bed, her bed, in her house in Lima and not leave it for days.

"What's wrong? Are you okay? What happened?" The diva questioned, clearly worried by the pale look on the girl's face.

"I…" The Latina started again, trying not to cry. But as soon as Rachel touched her shoulder and looked at her with worried eyes, she burst in tears.

"Oh no, Santana…" The brunette stepped forward and hugged the girl tightly. "What happened?"

The tan girl couldn't find the strength to push Rachel away after all that happened and let the girl hold her. "He…" She took a deep breath between sobs. "He hit me and told me to not come back to the ranch." When she felt the diva tense in her arms, she pulled away slightly to look at her.

"How could he?" The petite girl growled in anger. She broke the embrace but kept a hold of the girl's hand. "Tomorrow I will go to the ranch and give him an earful about how to treat people."

Despite the pain in her ribs, the raven-haired girl laughed. "As if you could fight him, short sack."

"I'm serious, this is not okay." The Jewish girl insisted

"I know…" The Latina wiped her tears away with the back of her hand.

Rachel sighed wearily. "Well you can stay with me until we figure something else."

"Are you serious?" Santana shook her head. "Abigail would lose it, it's not a simple sleepover."

"Then where will you go?"

"Maybe I can help." A voice said behind them. They were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't hear Dr Quinn enter the shop. They moved away from each other and stared at the girl.

"Sorry, I didn't want to interrupt." Mary smiled at them kindly. "I was going back to my office when I saw some light coming from the shop. I… I heard what happened so I wanted to check on you."

The petite girl smiled. "That's really nice of you, Mary. Thank you."

"Are you sure I can stay with you? I don't want to get you in trouble." The former cheerleader knew Santiago and the girl were friends but she didn't know the girl and didn't want to bring her into their crazy story.

Dr Quinn shrugged. "They already talk about me all the time anyway. Might as well give them something to talk about."

Santana looked at Rachel, silently asking if it was a good idea. The brunette shrugged. "It's not like we have a choice..."

* * *

After a moment, Santana left the shop and followed Mary to her house. Since the girl was coming from a wealthy family, she had bought a house right at the town limit.

What the girls didn't know what that they were being watched from the shadows. Cole patted John on the shoulder as the man growled at the view. "Don't worry, Johnny boy. We'll get that mudsill…"


	8. Stick to your own kind

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.

A/n: R&R, thanks

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Stick to your own kind**

The next morning, Rachel was working at the shop like always. Last night had turned out worse than she thought it would. When she had returned at Mrs Bercoran's house, the woman was waiting for her and their talk didn't end well… For the better part of the day, the girl had tried to hide in the back-shop but after a while, Abigail needed her help to serve the customers.

The diva was refilling a jar of candy when Dr Quinn stepped into the shop. The blonde scanned around the place before locking eyes with Rachel. The Doctor nodded to the brunette and pretended to look for something to buy as she waited for Mrs Bercoran to look the other way. When the older woman was busy helping a client, she approached the diva and quietly greeted her. "Hello, Michelle."

"Good Morning." The brunette greeted back as she glanced warily at Abigail. "What can I do for you?"

Mary grabbed one of the candies as she leaned forward and whispered. "Santiago is outside, in the back alley. He needs to talk to you."

The petite girl sighed. She wanted to see the Latina but it wasn't really a good time. "Can't it wait? I can't leave the shop."

"He said it's urgent." Dr Quinn shrugged. "I will keep your mother busy but don't stay too long."

Rachel nodded before grabbing some empty boxes - her only excuse to leave the store- and quietly making her way to the back of the shop **.** After making sure no one was looking, she discreetly made her way to the back alley. Santana smiled at her like she had never did before and unconsciously, it made her feel better. "Hello, Santana. I can't stay too long. How are you?"

"I feel like shit!" The Latina exclaimed. "I could barely sleep because of my ribs but I used the time to think about all the things I know about time travelling. And I thought about the movie 'Back to the future 3'. When Marty travelled back in time to save Doc?"

The Jewish girl crinkled her nose. "Who?"

The tan girl blinked. "Marthy Mc Fly and Dr Emmett Brown?" Seeing Rachel wasn't reacting, she added. "The dolorean? Oh my god, why am I not even surprised. There's no singing in it, of course you haven't watch it."

"I don't only watch musicals, you know." Rachel replied tiredly.

"Well they're surely not good movies if you don't know this classic." The raven-haired girl waited for the girl's comeback but when Rachel didn't argue, she frowned. Something was off but she decided to continue. "Anyway, you said the picture was taken not a long time before the fire? What if we have been sent here to save Michelle and Santiago?"

"Maybe…" The smaller girl answered absentmindedly.

Santana's frown deepened. "Okay what's up?" She crossed her arms, annoyed that her revelation wasn't taken seriously. "You're not talking and you're barely listening, it's weird."

"It's nothing really." The brunette lied. She knew that if she started talking, she would breakdown in tears and she didn't want that, especially not in front of Santana, despite the fact that the girl cried in her arms the night before.

"Bullshit!" The Latina studied the girl more closely and noticed a light bruise on face. "Oh my god…" On an impulse, she reached out and lightly cupped the diva's cheek. "Who did this to you?"

"It's…" The diva brought her hand to her mouth to muffle the sob coming out of it. She had tried to hold it together but the soft touch of Santana was too much to handle. "Abigail was waiting for me last night. Since we arrived, she had always seemed like a calm woman but she started shouting at me as soon as I stepped inside the house. She…She slapped me and said that I had to stop with my 'revolutionary speeches', that she had been too kind with me since my 'father' died and maybe should have set more limits." She took a deep breath, accepting the handkerchief Santana handed to her to wipe her tears away. "She also said I'd better accept Cole's offer to marry me, well, you know, Michelle because now people think I'm a whore who sleeps with Mexicans…"

The tan girl puffed some air. "Well, fuck…" She squeezed the diva's shoulder. "You don't have to stay there either, we can find a place for you until we figure out what to do to go back in our time. At least now we know we are Santiago and Michelle for a reason." She paused a minute to think. "Maybe the best thing would be to leave town. If we're just not around for the fire then they won't be killed after by Cole. So I say we just leave."

"Maybe you're right."

"We'll find a way, I promise." Santana tried to reassure the girl.

"Don't make promises that you can't keep. How do you know we'll be able to leave?" Rachel mumbled all downcast.

"I don't promise things often so when I do, I mean it, okay?" The raven-haired girl said softer than she expected. Even though she wouldn't say it at loud, it was somehow breaking her heart to see the girl so sad and discouraged. "Just trust me."

The petite girl scoffed, finally making eye contact with her. "Why would I? You said it yourself, we're not friends and you hate me."

The Latina sighed wearily. "Well maybe after all this shit, we're kind of friends so I won't leave you here." She hesitantly stepped forward and hugged the girl.

Rachel smiled, letting herself enjoy this show of affection before teasing. "I thought you didn't like hugging me?"

Santana scoffed. "Shut up and enjoy it, it won't happen everyday, midget." The diva giggled lightly against her and it weirdly made her happy.

* * *

Soon after, Rachel went back into the shop while Santana waited for Mary. She was still trying to process everything that had happened to them. It was downright crazy but the most disturbing thing was how her dynamic with Rachel had changed. She still had a hard time wrapping her mind around it.

Once the blonde joined Santana, they started making their way toward the doctor's practice.

"I can't believe this is happening, fuck, is everyone batshit crazy in this town?" The Latina said as she kicked a few little stones on the ground. "I mean we were just talking and dancing, and she's not even with that douche, can't people mind their own business?! Okay, she might not be my favourite person in the world but I guess since we arrived she's pretty okay and she was all supportive and shit yesterday. She stepped in front of me as if a midget could stop the troll, but still these things matter to me, you know. I'd never thought she'd have the guts to do this shit, let alone break into the newspaper office with me but she did, so I guess behind her 'I'm sweet and innocent' persona, she can be a bit badass too." Santana sighed. "I just want to go home and Li…" She scrunched eyes up, not quite being able to remember where her family was supposed to be from. "Tijuana might not be great but it's still better than here and at this rate, I don't know how long I'm gonna be able to keep my cool before going postal on everyone." She didn't know why she was telling the girl all that, but she needed to vent and since the real Quinn wasn't here, she would have to make with her understudy from the old west.

Dr Quinn stared at her as they kept walking. "I am not sure I fully understand everything you're saying and you are acting strangely but…" She paused, looking around her as if she feared people were listening. "We are friends, right? We don't judge each other unlike almost all the people in this town but… What's going on? What are you doing, Santiago? You told me there was something different about Michelle and you felt bound to her but you never said more. Since when are you two together? And are you ready to risk everything for her?"

The Latina frowned. "What? We're not…"

"All I'm saying is…" Mary cut her off. "I will support your decision, no matter what but be careful. You angered a few people last night…"

"Whatever. I don't care about them." The tan girl scoffed. She waited until they were inside the practice before talking again. "We need to leave town, can you help us?" They couldn't stay in this town anymore, not just to save Michelle and Santiago but also to save themselves from trouble. Once away from this place, they would just have to wait long enough for the fire to happen and then they would be free to go home. Back in Lima, she would hunt down whoever was responsible for all this and make them regret it badly.

"Are you sure that's the best solution?" The blonde questioned. "You might not be able to come back later."

"As if we would want to come back in this joint!" Santana exclaimed. "Yes, Mary, I'm sure. I thought about it all night, it's the only way." She ran her hand through her hair. "I plan to sneak inside the ranch to get some stuff for the road and as soon as we're ready, we'll leave."

"Just the two of you?" Dr Quinn asked and got a nod in return. "Okay then, this is going to be a messy ride but I'll help you as much as I can." She promised. "Besides … I love challenges." She smiled at the Latina.

* * *

In the afternoon, Rachel received the visit from Cole at the shop. She had tried to hide in the back-shop as soon as the man walked in but Abigail asked her to serve a customer at the same time. Once she was done with the client, Cole leaned against the counter as she stood behind it.

"I never had my dance yesterday." The tall man stated.

The diva sorted a few papers on the counter to busy her hands. She was too exhausted to have another fight with someone she wasn't even related to. "Maybe it has something to do with that fact that you punched Santiago Cruz and left the scene like a criminal."

"You were supposed to dance with me, not him. Now people are talking about you two. What is going on, Michelle?"

The brunette sighed wearily. "Nothing is going on. Santiago and I are just friends." She had a feeling people would have been talking about what happened but now she had the confirmation. It would make things even more complicated.

Cole frowned confused. "Then why did he say…"

"To make you angry." The petite girl said matter-of-factly.

"You're lying." The boy said through gritted teeth. "Stick to your own kind, Michelle."

In any other moment, Rachel would have laughed about this comment, or sing, especially since Santiago's mother was named Anita but here, she could feel her anger rise. "Santiago and I are just friends, just like you and me if you remember." She locked eyes with him. "The color of your skin shouldn't determine your value. Santiago is a better man than half the men in this town." She had read some things in Michelle's journals and it seemed like behind his cold exterior, Santiago was a sweet man.

"Stop with this nonsense, it will get you in trouble. And stay away from the Cruz boy, he's trouble." Cole warned angrily. "He's fooling around with this woman who thinks she can do a man's job and…"

"Cole." Rachel cut him off. She knew Mrs Bercoran was watching them from the corner of her eye and expected her to be all sweet but she didn't care. She didn't want to talk to these people anymore and she couldn't even storm out of the place. "I have to work so unless you need something from the shop, this talk will have to wait." She snapped.

The man seemed surprised by her tone but didn't answer. He nodded goodbye to Abigail before leaving without a word.

* * *

The next couple of days, Santana gathered food and supplies to leave town. She knew she had to go to the ranch to get money and clothes but she was dreading the moment. Luckily for her, she had noticed after her time at the ranch that Ricardo tended to go to the saloon in the middle of the week to catch up with the new gossip in town so it was the perfect opportunity to go to Santiago's house without fear of stumbling across the man.

Since the Latina still had her horse, she decided to ride it all the way to the barn and do the rest on foot. Once at the Ranch, she made sure no one was around before stepping inside the house. First, she rushed to Santiago's room, taking everything that could be useful before making her way to the kitchen to 'steal' some food.

Santana was sure the house was empty so she didn't bother checking before stepping inside the kitchen. She should know better though because as soon as she was inside the room, she came face to face with Santiago's mother. She froze.

"Santiago!" Anita exclaimed, moving forward and hugging her tightly. "Te extrañé, bebe."

"I…" The raven-haired girl quickly broke the embrace. ' _SHIT!'_ The Latina thought **.** "I'm not supposed to be here…" She didn't want the woman to say something to her husband about her visit.

"Lo sé, mijo, lo sé… but you know your father, deep down he wants you to come back home, he's just too proud to say it."

"I'm not staying, I just needed a few things…" The former cheerleader trailed off, she needed to leave and soon, this wasn't the plan.

"Why?" Mrs Cruz frowned. "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere." Santana lied, no one but Mary was supposed to know about her plan, not until they were far away from this town.

The older Latina looked at her son closely. "Is this about the Bercoran lady?" Anita asked. Santana opened her mouth to deny but the woman raised her hand to stop her. "You don't have to say a word, a mother knows those things. I saw you change right in front of me, it was like you were lost and suddenly she was there and you found the light… You are a good man, you deserve to be happy and I know your father will disapprove but if she's the one, then you have my blessing. Estoy orgulloso de ti hijo, remember that."

Even though Santana wanted to say that there was nothing going on with Rachel, well, no Michelle, she didn't have it in her heart. Right now, the woman reminded her of her own mom and how she missed her. Instead, she smiled. "Gracias, mami."

Mrs Cruz squeezed the girl's shoulder. "I have a feeling I won't see you so soon and there is something I want you to have. Please, wait here."

Santana nodded and waited until the woman left the room to grab some food from the cabinet. She was just finishing putting everything in her bag when Anita entered the kitchen with a small wooden box in hand.

Santiago's mother opened the box to reveal a small gold ring. On the outside was engraved 'our love' and inside 'will travel through time.' The woman grabbed Santana's hand and put the box in it. "It belonged to my great grand mother and was passed from generation to generation. I want you to give it to Michelle."

The latina's eyes went wide in surprise. This was too much, the woman thought she was Santiago and she couldn't accept this gift, it was a part of the Anita's heritage and it wasn't hers to have or Rachels. "What? No I can't. It's really not what you…"

"Escucha me." Mrs Cruz cut her off. "I don't have a daughter but if she's the one you want, I'd be happy if she could wear it…"

"Really, I can't…" The former cheerleader tried to give the box back.

"It's not up for discussion. Por favor, take it." Anita insisted.

The raven-haired girl sighed. Again, it wasn't what she had planned. She was supposed to get in, get some stuff and leave without seeing anyone. It was clear she couldn't say no but she would have to find a way to get it back inside the house before they went back to the future. "Alright…"

"Good. Now go." Mrs Cruz hugged her tightly before pushing her toward the door. When Santana looked at her, the woman smiled. "Just go, I won't say anything to your father."

The Latina put the box into her pocket and rushed outside the house. At least she was able to get what she needed before leaving town…


	9. Parker and Barrow

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Parker and Barrow**

A couple days later, Rachel and Santana were finally ready to leave town. The last days had been hard, the girls couldn't go anywhere without hearing people whisper about them, especially Rachel. They decided not to meet at their usual spot, preferring to use Mary to pass little notes for them. The blonde would pretend to need herbs or material for her practice to play the messenger.

Rachel was supposed to meet Santana before dawn. She had gathered clothes and supplies, just like the Latina despite being adamant about stealing things at first. As the judging comments about her increased, she quickly understood she didn't have a choice and stealing was still better than starving if things didn't go as planed.

At night time, Rachel was met by one big obstacle: getting out of the house unnoticed. Since the incident at the fair **,** Abigail had been keeping a close eye on her but she knew she had to take advantage of the small opening she would have before the woman woke up. Everyday, the older woman would start her morning routine just after sun rise. She would tidy up the house, then eat breakfast before going to the shop with her, well Michelle in tow. It was like a clock work for the Bercoran lady and Rachel had memorized it well enough to know she had exactly five minutes to get out of the place **.** The diva took a deep breath and grabbed her bag before tip toeing out of the house.

Once outside, the brunette rushed toward Dr Quinn's house, careful to not bump into anyone or anything on her way there. She entered the place without knocking and was welcomed by an angry Santana.

"You're late!" The Latina exclaimed.

"I'm sorry but I was making sure Abigail wouldn't follow me." Rachel explained tiredly, handing her bag to the girl.

"Whatever, we need to hurry. People are going to go outside soon and I don't want them to see us." The raven-haired girl grabbed the bag and went outside to attach it on the saddle.

"Don't mind him, he barely slept. He didn't say anything but I could tell he was worried you wouldn't be able to come." Mary said as she stepped into the room.

"Oh hello, Mary." The petite girl smiled kindly. "And don't worry, I'm used to Santa…" She cleared a throat before quickly correcting herself. "…Santiago snapping at me."

"Yes, I'm sure it hasn't been easy for either of you." The doctor said, placing a comforting hand on Rachel's shoulder. "Believe me, I know what it's like to be forced out of your home. But at least you have each other, and it's obvious how much he loves you."

"Really?" Rachel said surprised, not expecting the girl to confess such a thing about her friend.

"Of course! He wouldn't be doing all this if he didn't…" The blonde pointed out before locking eyes with the diva. "It's obvious in the way that you look at each other. More so in the way you try not to."

"Hum… I…" The diva didn't know what to say. They might look like them but they weren't Santiago and Michelle, how could the girl see that? She stared at Mary, trying to come up with something to deny it but thankfully, she saw the front door open. Saved by the bell…

"Okay, we're ready to go." Santana declared as she came back inside the house. She stopped in front of the blonde. "Thanks, you know, for your help."

Dr Quinn smiled before hugging her. "It was nothing. Just be careful and take care of each other." She broke the embrace and kissed the girl's cheek before hugging Rachel. "Now go, the sun will be up soon."

"Thank you." Rachel said before following Santana outside.

* * *

Since they only had one horse, the diva waited for the Latina to get on the horse before trying to do the same, which turned out to be more complicated than she thought with her dress.

The Latina chuckled at her attempts. "Do you need a stool, midget or you're gonna join me soon?"

"Very funny, Santana." The brunette deadpanned. After a few tries, she was finally able to get on the horse behind Santana.

"Ready?" The former cheerleader asked.

The Jewish girl nodded. "Yes, let's get out of this doomed town."

"Okay, hold on to me." The taller girl instructed her.

"Hum…" Rachel hesitated for a minute, still not used to being so close to the girl who a couple weeks ago were mocking her in the hallway.

"Oh my god!" Santana rolled her eyes. "I won't bite, just grip my side so you don't fall, I don't want to stop all the time to get you back on the horse because you fell."

The diva huffed before finally resting her hands on Santana's side as the girl led the horse toward the town limit…

The girls had decided to ride as long as possible without stopping to put more distance between the town and them and decrease the risk of someone looking for them in the closest town. They rode mostly in silence, surrounded by the sound of the wind and the galloping of the horse.

Now that the sun was about to set, they needed a place to spend the night. Santana was hoping the next town would have a saloon big enough to have rooms to rent.

"Once we arrive in town, we need to change our names, just in case someone asks for us." Rachel stated.

"Seriously?" Santana shook her head. "It's already hard to call each other Michelle and Santiago and now you want us to find new names?" She pulled on the reins to slow down the horse's pace.

"Think about it, Santana. If we give fake names, Michelle and Santiago's family won't be able to find anything if they come looking for them… for us." The diva insisted. "And it's not that hard to remember a name for a few minutes in front of a clerk."

"Dios mio, I'm too tired for your shit." The Latina sighed heavily. All she wanted was to eat something and sleep, she wasn't in a mood for another one of the diva's crazy plans.

"Then just go with it." The brunette waited a bit before adding. "And we should pretend to be a married couple…"

"Oh hell no, I'm no one's wife!" The raven-haired girl shouted.

"Well, technically you'd be my husband…" The petite girl pointed out.

"I don't care, we're not girlfriends and I'm already questioning why we are friends so I won't be all over you pretending we're married. It's not your Run Joey Run video with dudes fighting for you, okay? I'm not one of your exes, I'm not Cole and I'm not Santiago." Santana said exasperated. "I'm tired of acting all the time, now that we are away from Glesswood, I need a break."

Rachel clicked her tongue. "I am aware after all your insults of how repulsed you are by my physical appearance but I'm sure you can put it aside and act for 5 more minutes."

The Latina glanced behind her and saw the hurt on Rachel's face. She rolled her eyes and sighed. Why did she have to feel bad after what she said? She had said meaner things to the girl before without blinking an eye but right now, after what they experienced, she didn't want the diva to feel sad. "Fine, whatever, I guess there're worse things in the world than being married to you. You're not that bad when you want to…"

The brunette smiled slightly but stayed silent for the rest of the ride.

* * *

Rachel and Santana reached the hotel just before nightfall. The place was a salon with a few rooms to rent on the first floor, it wasn't the best but they didn't really have a choice.

While Santana took care of the horse, Rachel made sure they agreed on their plan, repeating what they were supposed to say in front of people. Once they were ready, the diva marched toward the entrance but was quickly stopped by the Latina. She sighed in annoyance. "I know you're supposed to be my husband but I don't see the problem with me walking first into the room!"

Santana rolled her eyes. "It's not that, I just have something that might help us with our lie…" She trailed off as she grabbed the ring Santiago's mom gave her out of her pocket.

The brunette's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh my god, it's beautiful. Where did you get this?" She studied the ring before frowning. "Santana Lopez, don't tell me you stole it! We agreed to take only what we absolutely needed!"

"Oh my god, calm your tits, Berry!" The raven-haired girl exclaimed. "I didn't steal anything; Anita gave it to me, well to Santiago, for you, well no, urgh…" She sighed in frustration. "Women in her family pass the ring from generation to generation. Since she doesn't have a daughter she wanted her son to give this family's jewel to the girl he chooses to marry and I don't know why but she thinks it will be Michelle so…" She started fidgeting as she played with the ring in her hand.

"Oh…" The petite girl awed at the sweetness of the story. "Anita is a nice woman; we need to make sure she gets the ring back before we go back to the future." She smiled at Santana before raising her left hand, expectantly waiting for the Latina to put it around her finger. "My sweet wife, or should I say husband, would you do me the honor." She joked.

Santana frowned. "Whatever, it's just a ring, I'm not proposing. Let's just get inside." She put the ring in the diva's hand before entering the hotel.

Rachel crinkled her nose at the sudden awkwardness; she was just trying to lighten the mood but it seemed like the Latina wasn't very social in the moment. The tale behind the ring was sweet and she hoped she would get the chance to do the same with her family in the future. She stared at the ring, reading the quote engraved before smiling. It felt almost wrong to wear it if it didn't really have meaning, if it was given without love but it was pretty and it would help them in their lie. She slid the gold band on her ring finger and took a minute to appreciate the ring on her hand. Weirdly, the jewel fitted perfectly. When she heard Santana shout "Are you coming?" She shook her head to focus on the present and rushed inside the hotel.

A short man greeted them and Santana didn't lose a minute to ask for a room. "Do you still have a room available for my wife and I? We travelled all day and we'd like to rest."

"It's your lucky day, I have one room left." The man declared with a smile. "Can I have a name?"

"Bonnie and Clyde Barrow." The Latina announced with a proud smile.

Rachel raised her eyebrow but stayed silent, she would have the time to comment on this once they would be alone. Of course, almost 50 years were separate them from the couple of bandits but they agreed on other names and of course Santana had to be stubborn and not listen to her.

* * *

They paid for the room and quickly made their way to it. It was small room with the minimum of furniture but what caught the girls' eyes was the only bed in the room. It was a double so it meant they had to share it. They were still trying to learn how to be friends and this was way too much.

"Okay, no…" Santana said, breaking the silence of the room. "I don't want to share my bed with you, I have my limits. We rode a horse all day, I just want to sleep and forget all about this shit…"

"I don't really want to share a bed either but I won't sleep on the floor, so I am going to sleep on it." The diva stated as she removed her cardigan and her shoes.

"Berry, you can not be serious?" The Latina couldn't believe what was happening. She was exhausted from the travelling, her ribs hurt and she had to listen to Rachel repeat the same thing again and again and now she had to share a bed with her like they were best buddies, or worse, a couple. Sure two people could share a bed without it meaning anything but she had a weird feeling in her chest about this and couldn't say why.

The brunette sighed. "Do as you want, Santana but I am too tired to fight over this. Just stay on your side, I'll stay on mine…" She settled under the cover and turned her back on Santana.

The tan girl sighed heavily as she started removing her belt and clothes. "You better stay on your side or I swear…"

"Good night, Santana."

Santana growled before settling in bed, making sure to keep as much as distance as she could between them. She knew she tended to cuddle at night and she definitely wanted to avoid that tonight.

* * *

In the middle of the night, Rachel was awoken by some noises coming from the hallway. She waited until the noises stopped before settling more comfortably on her pillow. Except when she tried to squeeze it, it wasn't rough or cold like the bad pillow case she had fallen asleep on, it was soft and warm. This wasn't normal. She cracked an eye open and saw that as she had guessed, she wasn't on a pillow, but laying on top of Santana. Her eyes widened. "Oh my Barbra…" She breathed out, trying not to panic.

"Mhhh, too early…" Santana mumbled underneath her, sleepily holding her body more tightly before sighing contently.

Rachel took a deep breath to calm her beating heart. She had felt warm and safe until she realised in what position she was sleeping in… This shouldn't feel good. This, could end up deadly, it was Santana after all… She tried to move away slowly from the girl but the Latina tightened her grip.

The raven-haired girl whined. "You're comfy, just sleep."

The brunette raised an eyebrow. Was the girl aware of who she was with? Surely not and she really didn't want to suffer her wrath when she realised they had cuddled during the night. "Santana." She whispered. "Santana, wake up."

"No…"

"Santana…"

"What?" The taller girl growled, still not moving.

"You… hum… I…" The Jewish girl stuttered. She couldn't really say it at loud; it was too strange to even recognize the situation. She sighed and decided to say something else. "I heard some weird noises coming from the hallway." She tried to disentangle herself from the Latina's body again.

"So?" Santana tried to stir but as her sleepy daze slowly fade away, she realised someone was moving on top of her. And it wasn't just someone, it was Rachel. "Wait, what are you doing?" She snapped her eyes open and saw Rachel's face close to hers. She screamed, pushing the girl away and rolling to the side, falling from the bed in the process. "What the fuck were you doing on top of me, midget?" She roared, quickly standing up from the floor.

"I don't know!" The diva exclaimed, stepping out of the bed and standing on the opposite side from Santana. It was safer to keep the bed between them, just in case the girl decided to surge forward in an attempt to kill her. They might be friends now but the Latina still had a temper. "I woke up like this and when I tried to move you… hum…"

"I what?" The tan girl pressed, glaring at the petite girl.

"Held me closer…" The petite girl trailed off, shyly looking at the floor. She shouldn't feel embarrassed about this, it happened while they were asleep and after all, Santana was the one holding her but still, it shouldn't have felt this nice…

"Bullshit, I didn't." Santana quickly tried to defend herself. "You just…"

Suddenly, they were interrupted by some loud banging on the door. Santana raised an eyebrow questioningly as she looked at Rachel. The brunette shrugged. "Maybe we woke up someone with the screaming…"

"I could say wanky, but I'm so not in the mood right now for this shit." The raven-haired girl slipped on her clothes. "I'm gonna check who that is. You stay next to me in case they think I tried to murder you." She walked to the door.

Rachel frowned and crossed her arms. "Why would it be you? I could be the one tired of you because you're infuriating."

The Latina rolled her eyes. "And you're annoying, dwarf, but we're stuck with each other so I guess we'll have to get used to it." She opened the door but as she was about to ask what was wrong, she saw there was no one in sight. "Where are they?"

"Perhaps they already left." The petite girl offered.

But when the girls stepped outside the room to check the hallway, their surroundings started to swirl and everything became a blur until it finally stopped and Rachel and Santana were standing right in front of the saloon, in the middle of the night.

Feeling as if the world was still spinning, Santana leaned against the wall and glanced around her. "What the fuck happened?" She looked at the diva who seemed as confused as her. "How the hell did we travel back in Glesswood? It's a nightmare…"

Rachel looked at the empty streets around them, a lonely tear running down her face. "Oh my god, we can't leave this town, we are doomed…"


	10. It's like a loop

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.

* * *

 **Chapter 10: It's like a loop**

Rachel and Santana were standing still in front of the saloon; the night breeze blowing around them. They looked at each other as realisation hit them both: they couldn't leave town.

Santana opened her mouth and closed it, not knowing what to say after what had happened. It was all so confusing… As she noticed the tears on Rachel's face, she stepped closer but stopped when she heard voices coming their way. She grabbed the diva's hand and led her toward the back alley.

The girls halted at the same time when they spotted Santiago's horse and their belonging in the middle of the alley. "What the fuck happened? Time travelling is one thing but then there is this curse with Santiago and Michelle and now that?" She pointed at the innocent looking horse and their bags. "Teleportation or whatever… I mean…"

"I don't understand…" Rachel murmured as she looked in front of her confused.

The Latina sighed tiredly. "Welcome to the club…"

"What are we doing now?" The diva asked, finally tearing her eyes away from the horse to look at her friend.

"It's late. Since we can't really go anywhere or in your case, you can't just barge into Michelle's house like nothing happened; we should go to the barn for the rest of the night." The raven-haired girl offered. "Once we'll get there, we'll try to come up with a new plan."

"What's the point, Santana?" The brunette said downcast. "We can't leave this town and we disappeared for 24 hours. We can't just go back to our lives here as if it didn't happen. People will talk and Abigail…" She stopped when her voice broke.

"I know…" The tan girl squeezed the diva's shoulder in support. "Come on, let's get on the horse and leave, I don't want anyone to see us."

Soon, both girls were riding the horse in direction of the barn, silently hoping they would find a way to fix their situation.

* * *

Once in the barn and after reviewing all their possibilities, Rachel and Santana quickly came up with the conclusion that they had to play along with their roles until the fire at the saloon.

If they wanted to stay alive, all they had to do was steer clear of the saloon and stay in the barn the night of the fire and just leave with the rest of the survivors after.

All they could do was wait and hope for the best. They still had a few weeks before the fire and they would have to deal with people whispering and Michelle and Santiago's family interfering. Santana had to admit she was more worried about Rachel's situation then hers. Ricardo had kicked her out and she was 'free' to do as she pleased while living with Mary but Michelle's mother and Cole were another story. If Mrs Bercoran was getting angry at her 'daughter's behaviour', Rachel would have to leave the house. They wouldn't both be able to stay with Dr Quinn; it would get the girl in trouble more than she already was, so they would have to find a safe place. She was ready to leave town every day at sun rise, even if they would be back by midnight if it meant keeping the diva and herself safe.

As Rachel fell asleep in the corner of the barn, Santana couldn't help but think about when the brunette's wellbeing really started to matter. She had never really hated the girl, she just had the power to get on her nerves so easily that it was better for everyone if she just stayed away. But since they arrived, they had grown closer, maybe it was because they had no one else here or because adversity brings people closer together, in any case, spending all those nights at the barn gave her the opportunity to know the girl and she wasn't so bad after all.

The Latina was still confused about the way she woke up, all cuddled up with Rachel. It was so wrong, in many ways, but at the same time, it felt so nice and right. She shook her head, it was ridiculous and it was better to just forget about it.

Santana sighed as she settled in the other corner of the barn. She needed to get some sleep too; they were supposed to go at Mary's place early in the morning and she had a feeling it was going to be a long day.

* * *

After a few hours of sleep, Rachel and Santana made their way to Mary's house, knowing they would have to explain why they were back in town. They had decided they would stay vague, claiming troubles with the horse and a lack of money to go where they wanted to go. After all, it wasn't like they could talk about time travelling or the curse preventing them from leaving town, or even their impending doom in a fire just a few weeks from now.

Luckily, Dr Quinn was already awake when they arrived. As expected, the girl greeted them with a surprised look on her and quickly asked what they were doing here.

Rachel smiled sadly as she sat next to Quinn in the kitchen. "Some things didn't go as planned and we had to come back in Glesswood in a hurry."

"What happened? Are you okay?" The blonde asked concerned.

"Trust me, the less you know the better." Santana answered, dropping their bags on the floor. "I'm gonna go change. I'll be right back." She grabbed her bag and made her way toward the bedroom, leaving Rachel with Mary.

"Can I offer you something to drink or eat? I have some bread left." Dr Quinn stood up and started putting food on the table, without waiting for the diva's answer.

"That's really nice of you, thank you." The brunette reached for a plate and some bread but stopped when she heard Mary gasp. She looked at the girl confused, wondering if she had done something wrong. "Is everything okay?"

"Did you leave town to get married?" Mary reached out and grabbed Rachel's hand, inspecting the ring she had on her finger.

The diva's eyes went wide at the realisation. She had completely forgotten to remove the ring when they left the barn. She hastily pulled her hand away. "No, that's not what you think. Santiago's mother gave him the ring and…"

"You could have told me that was your plan all along." The doctor cut her off. "There was no reason to lie."

The petite girl removed the ring and put it on the table. "We didn't lie, we didn't get married…"

"It's okay." The blonde interrupted her again, completely ignoring the girl's words. "If you want my advice, you shouldn't wear it right now, or say anything. Wait here…" She squeezed the diva's shoulder before leaving the room.

"Sweet Barbra, this is getting out of hand…" Rachel mumbled to herself as she ate some bread.

Mary came back a couple minutes later with a little necklace chain in her hand. "You should wear it around you neck. You will still have it close to your heart but no one will see." She took the little brunette's hand and put the chain on her palm.

"I can't, this it too much." The Jewish girl exclaimed, staring at the piece of jewellery in her hand. "It's yours."

"A patient gave it to me because she didn't have any other way to pay me and I have no use for it." Dr Quinn explained, grabbing the ring off the table and slipping it around the necklace. "So please, take it. See it has a wedding gift."

Rachel didn't even have the time to react before Mary clasped the chain around her neck. "But we didn't…"

"Is everything okay?" Santana questioned as she stepped inside the room.

"Yes, I was just asking Michelle what you were planning to do now." The blonde said innocently.

"I was thinking about going to the saloon to know if people are talking about us while Ra… Michelle will go see her mother." The Latina declared. "I know it's a lot to ask and you can say no but if she can't stay with Abigail, can she stay here with us while we figure out something else?"

"I have to think about it." Mary turned her attention toward Rachel. "I think we can say we are friends now but Mrs Bercoran has some influence in town and…"

The brunette stood up. "Don't worry, I understand. You already did a lot for us." She smiled gratefully. "I'm sure we'll find something else." She looked sadly at Santana before saying. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to change too so I can go see my mother."

Rachel really wanted to cry but she couldn't have a breakdown right now, she needed to be strong to face Abigail. She thought things couldn't get worse but after the past few days, she guessed she was wrong about that…

* * *

Later that day, Santana was sipping a drink in the Saloon, listening to the people whisper about her, well Santiago from her table in the corner.

The Latina was trying to follow the conversation that two of Cole's friends were having when someone approached her table. She raised her head and tried to keep her composure when Ricardo sat in front of her.

Mr Cruz cleared his throat. "People are talking about you son, and by extension, me." He paused to stare at the girl. "It would be better for you to come home and behave before the situation gets out of hand."

The Latina raised her eyebrow, leaning forward on her chair. "I thought I wasn't supposed to come back until I'm a decent man?"

Santiago's dad sighed wearily. "I need you at the ranch… Don't make this more difficult than it is."

The raven-haired girl shook head, she was starting to get tired of these people and acting all the time. She was born in the late 20th century, she wasn't meant to live according to the laws and rules of this era. "So because you need me now it's okay for me to come back?" She chuckled bitterly, remembering how he punched her in the guts, leaving her breathless on the ground. "No thank you, I'm good where I am."

"And where is it exactly?" The man questioned coldly. "At this doctor's house?"

Santana leaned back into her chair, glaring at him. "Why do you care?"

"I told you to show me some respect." Ricardo gritted through his teeth. "Dr Quinn has been a good friend to you, Santiago. By preying on her kindness and staying with her you are not only jeopardising your own reputation but hers as well. Think about that before you give in to your pride. I'm willing to forgive you if you come back home but I will only ask you once. If you're not at the ranch by midnight, than you are no longer my son and I forbid you to come near the house." He stated with a hint of anger. "You want to act like a man, then learn to live with the consequences of your acts."

"And what about yours?" The Latina fired back, trying not to raise her voice and catch attention. "Because I still have bruises from the punch you gave me." She finished the rest of her drink in one gulp before standing up quickly.

Mr Cruz grabbed her arm to stop her. "I am your father."

Santana glared at him as she pulled her arm away from his grip. "It doesn't make it okay." She shook her head before storming out of the saloon.

* * *

Rachel was resting in her room, going over what happened with Michelle's mother. To her surprise, Abigail had been more worried than mad when she disappeared the day before. As soon as she stepped inside the house, the woman broke down in tears and hugged her tight, telling her how sorry she was. She already lost her husband and didn't want to lose her daughter too.

Mrs Bercoran was regretting the fight they had and knew the minute she couldn't find her daughter that she had made a mistake. All day, when people had asked her where her daughter was, she had lied and said she was sick, hoping she would come back soon.

The woman wanted to know where she had gone but Rachel gave her some short and vague answers, not having expected this reaction. After a while, Abigail had to go to her shop and asked her to stay and rest.

The diva sighed tiredly, at least she had a place to stay but for how long. She couldn't be sure Michelle's mother wouldn't push her to see Cole and prevent her from seeing Santana once the joy of having her daughter back faded.

As she slowly fell asleep, the brunette's last thought was to find plans and contingency plans so they could save Michelle and Santiago and finally go home…


	11. Let them talk

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Let them talk**

Later that day, Santana was impatiently waiting for the night to come to go see Rachel at their secret spot. As hard as it was to admit it, she was somehow becoming dependant on the brunette and a Lopez never depends on anyone. Ever. Sure it was nice to have Mary around but it was her meetings with Rachel that lit up her mood the most. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a knock on door. Since it was Mary's house, the girl hesitated for a moment before finally deciding to open it. To her surprise, Santiago's mother was standing on the porch. "What are you doing here?"

"That is no way to greet your mother, Santo." Anita chastised before smiling.

"I'm sorry, Mami. I was just surprised, please come in." The raven-haired girl stepped aside to let the woman enter. She sat at the kitchen table and motioned Anita to do the same.

Mrs Cruz sat next to Santana. "And to answer your question, I wanted to talk to you."

Santana crossed her arms defensively. She liked the woman but it was too much talk for one day. "If it's about going back to the ranch, you should save your breath because I won't."

"Santiago please, your father needs you there." Santiago's mother insisted. "He might not say it but you are really helping him with all the tasks."

"He should have thought about that before asking me to stay away." The former cheerleader argued.

"Dios mio, you're as stubborn as he is" Anita exclaimed, shaking her head. "He asked you to come back; it's his way of apologizing."

"Well, that's not enough." Santana stated. "At least here I'm free to do what I want."

"People are talking about Ms Quinn and you." Mrs Cruz said, almost hesitantly. "You could get her in trouble just by sharing a house with a woman you are not married to."

"Then let them talk, we're just friends!" The raven-haired girl cried in frustration.

"I know that." The woman replied calmly. "I can see how you look at Mrs Bercoran's daughter but other people don't know that… And they also talk about you and Michelle..." She sighed. "I don't want anything to happen to you and that is why I think you would be safer at the ranch."

"I can take care of myself." Santana declared, standing up. "Please, go home before Ricardo notices you're gone." She really wanted to go home and if they were stuck here until the fire started, then it couldn't come soon enough.

Anita stood up and moved to hug her. "Please think about it." She kissed her cheek before walking toward the door. "I miss you…" She said before the door closed behind her.

* * *

Not even five minutes later, there was another knock on the door. Thinking it was Anita; Santana rolled her eyes and opened the door forcefully. "I thought I made myself clear…" She stopped when she saw Pablo – Ricardo's handy man- standing in front of her. She raised her eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"

"Your mother sent me. Something happened at Doctor Quinn's practice and she thought you'd want to know." The man explained with his thick Mexican accent.

"What? What happened?" The Latina asked concerned.

Pablo shrugged. "I don't know. We saw some broken glass and a busted window. Your mother had to go home but she asked me to come and get you."

The raven-haired girl frowned. "Where is Mary?" She grabbed her gun and her hat before exiting the house.

"Dr Quinn is at her practice."

The tan girl nodded. "Okay, go back to the ranch. I'm gonna take care of this." She hastily got on her horse and rode it as fast as she can toward Mary's practice.

* * *

When Santana arrived downtown, Mary was sweeping the shattered glass on the floor. She quickly attached the reins of the horse and rushed next to the girl. "Are you okay?" She scanned the girl's body for any sign of injury as she squeezed the girl's shoulder for comfort.

Dr Quinn looked up and said. "I am, thank you." She smiled softly. "You shouldn't be here."

"I don't care. Who did this? What happened?" The Latina questioned while inspecting the window. There were a few holes in it and the rocks were scattered inside.

"No one wants to talk but I'm guessing Cole and his crew." Mary shrugged.

"But why?" The tan girl frowned, slowly getting angrier. "I'm the one they have a problem with!" She already hated the guy but it was now turning into pure loathing.

The doctor sighed. "I had an encounter with Cole earlier. He wanted to know what was happening between you and Michelle and when I refused to answer, he asked me what was happening between you and me. I told him to leave us alone but I guess this is his way of telling me he won't…"

The former cheerleader growled. "I'm gonna ends him! This douche is getting on my last nerve, like seriously!" She turned around, ready to march toward the saloon where she guessed Cole was but Mary grabbed her arm.

"Santiago, please don't." The blonde shook her head. "Thank you but you would only get hurt and it looks like the whole town supports him. We should just ignore them and…"

Santana rolled her eyes before interrupting her. "God, you sound just like the hobbit."

Dr Quinn looked at her confused. "The what?"

"Nothing, just forget it." The Latina looked around before sighing. "I'm going to help you fix the window and then I'll go talk to Michelle."

"Maybe you should wait; Cole and his friends are keeping a close eye on you." Mary advised, gathering all the pieces of glass and putting them on the side of the building.

The tan girl sighed again. "Fine but he will pay for this, sooner or later." She moved toward the door of the practice but stopped before entering to look at Mary. "I'm sorry for what happened, it's my fault. If you weren't helping us…" People had warned her about this but she didn't want to believe they would do something. She kept thinking like someone from the 21st century, where there were rules and laws and more freedom. She forgot sometimes, that here, in the old west, all she took for granted in her time could get her in trouble or worse… Maybe Anita was right; it would be safer for everyone to just go back to the ranch…

"It's not your fault or mine. We are just too ahead of our time… I wish I was born in another century…" The doctor confessed, making her way inside.

"And I wish I could go back in mine…" Santana whispered.

* * *

It was night time and Rachel was the first to arrive at the barn. She had heard what happened to Mary's practice and had been worried for Santana all day since she had no way to contact the Latina. The singer was about to start panicking when she saw the girl enter their secret spot, she sighed in relief. Without thinking, she rushed toward the Latina and hugged her tightly.

Santana let out an 'oomph' of surprise when a tiny body crushed into her. "Jeez, what got into you, midget? We saw each other this morning." She patted the girl's back a few times before breaking the embrace.

"I'm sorry, it's just…" The diva took a step back but kept her hand on the girl's arm. "I heard some people threw rocks at Mary's window and I was worried they'd go after you next."

"I'm fine." The Latina assured the diva as she squeezed her hand gently. "And it wasn't just random people, it was Cole and his squad."

"What?" The brunette frowned. "How do you know?"

"I just do…" The tan girl trailed off. She looked into Rachel's eyes before adding. "That's why I'm gonna go back to the ranch tonight."

"Why? I thought Ricardo told you to not come back." The petite girl didn't expect Santana to go back after what happened.

"He came to talk to me while I was in the saloon. Long story short, he wants me back before midnight or I'm no longer 'his son'."

The Jewish girl crinkled her nose. "Is it why you want to go back?"

"No, I don't care about horse face." The raven-haired girl waved her hand dismissively. "Anita asked me to come back too, she misses her son and…"

"But it's not safe!" Rachel cut her off.

"But I can't put Mary in danger. They were sending ME a warning not her and it's not fair of us to bring her into our mess." Santana pointed out.

"Oh…" The diva never thought Santana would give up the freedom she had at Mary's house to protect the girl. She knew she was protective toward her friends but she barely knew the doctor. Santana kept surprising her and it was always a pleasure to discover another sweet side of her.

The taller girl frowned. "What 'oh'?"

"Nothing, it's just…" The brunette put some of her hair behind her ear. "Really thoughtful of you."

"Whatever!" The Latina scowled. "Besides, I know Sasquatch and co wouldn't dare coming close to the ranch so I will only have to deal with Ricardo."

The petite girl nodded. "You have a point…" She might not like the idea but after what Cole did, it seemed wiser. Like they say, stick with the devil you know.

"Anyway, what about you? How did it go with Abigail?" The tan girl questioned.

"To my surprise, it went well." Rachel answered before continuing. "She welcomed me back with open arms. Her daughter is all she has left since her husband died so she doesn't want to lose her over 'petty' arguments, even though to my mind our discussion was anything but. How a person could threaten to cut their child out of their life and then describe the action as petty is beyond me, but for Michelle's sake I let it go." She was still upset about what happened after the fair with Abigail but she would have to keep it to herself until they leave this town.

Santana snorted. "That's very unlike you, Berry. I would have expected you to launch into some verbose speech about appropriate parenting techniques until she was so bored or insulted that she kicked you out again." She joked to light up the mood. "But at least now we don't have to worry about finding you somewhere to stay. I mean, as long as she doesn't go back to the evil mother who desperately wants her daughter to get hitched, we should be good."

"That's what I thought too." The Jewish girl nodded. "Well not in those terms because it's fairly rude but I agree with the general content of your statement."

The Latina rolled her eyes but didn't say anything else. They stayed silent for a while, just sitting on some tree trunks she had brought in the barn to make the place cosier. After a moment, she said. "I was thinking, isn't it weird to have just a mom here? I mean, since you have two dads and your mother is well, you know…"

The diva raised her eyebrow, surprised by the girl's question. "You were thinking about me and my family?"

The raven-haired girl scoffed. "Don't put it like that, you make it sound like I care about your personal life. I just had a lot of time to think since there is nothing else better to do in this joint."

The brunette fought a smile, not wanting the girl to get annoyed and leave. "I miss my dads and my home." She paused for a moment. Her relationship with Shelby, if she could call it that, was complicated and far from what she had imagined her mother would be. "I'm not Michelle so I don't see Abigail as a mother. And Abigail isn't Shelby and Shelby isn't well…"

"The mother of the year?" Santana offered.

"You can't be mother of the year if you don't want to be a part of your child's life because they are too old…" Rachel replied sadly.

"Shelby is good coach but she was a real bitch to you. Fuck her, it's her loss." The former cheerleader stated. "You keep talking about how great your dads are, they shower you with love so just be thankful for that."

The petite girl smiled wildly this time, not able to restrain herself. She was really starting to like this side of the girl. "Thank you."

"Yeah, don't get all mushy about it, I'm just keeping it real."

They fell into a comfortable silence again until Rachel spoke. "I miss singing too."

The Latina chuckled. "I can't believe I'm saying this but, yeah me too."

The brunette smiled. "Don't worry, I won't tell. Your secret is safe with me." She winked exuberantly as she made a zipping lips motion with her hand.

Santana laughed. "You're ridiculous!"

"I made you laugh." The diva grinned proudly before looking at her pocket watch. "It's late, I should go." She stood up. "You too, Santana, if you have to be at the ranch before midnight."

"Okay, be careful." The tan girl stood up too and walked with Rachel toward the door. "After what happened today, we need to stay alert."

Rachel smiled softly. "I will." She stepped closer to Santana and kissed the girl's cheek. "I was wrong about you, Santana Lopez; you're far from being heartless …" She smiled once again before leaving the barn.

Santana stood there dumbfounded as she watched the singer go. _Damn._ She could swear her heart had missed a beat…

* * *

A few days later, things had calmed down for the two of them. A new drama involving Sam Owens cheating on his wife had taken the spotlight away from them. Ricardo had left Santana alone for the most part and Abigail was still happy to have her daughter back.

It was Sunday morning and Michelle's mother had insisted they should go to church. Since her dad was Christian, she had already went to church even though she had chosen the Jewish faith so it wasn't a problem but she just wanted to use this opportunity to search the house while Abigail was away and it wouldn't be possible.

The diva was sitting in front of the church, looking at all the people going inside while Mrs Bercoran was talking with one of her friends. When she heard some footsteps coming closer to the bench, she turned her head and saw… "Santana? What are you doing here?" She questioned in surprise.

"What are you doing here, Berry? Aren't you Jewish?" Santana asked, glancing around her to see if anyone was paying attention to them.

"I am, Michelle isn't." The brunette simply stated. "What about you?"

"Ricardo insisted we come. He said we needed to show the people of this town that we were good people who were going to church or some bullshit." The Latina rolled her eyes at the thought.

The petite girl smiled sympathetically. "I'm afraid it won't be enough…"

The tan girl snorted. "Yeah go tell him that!"

Rachel was about to answer when she noticed a girl staring before smiling at her. "Someone is watching us. You should go inside. I will meet you at our spot tonight." As soon as Santana walked away, the girl who was looking at them approached her.

"Michelle. I'm so happy to see you." The brown-haired girl leaned down and hugged her tightly.

 _'_ _This girl must be a friend of Michelle seeing the way she is greeting me. But why didn't I see her sooner? She hasn't come to the shop since we arrived.'_ The diva broke their embrace and smiled politely. "Hello."

"Is this how you're greeting an old friend? I know I left for almost a month to see my grandparents but I still look the same." The girl joked.

The brunette stood up, giving herself some time to think about a reply. "I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting you here."

"It's okay." The girl smiled. "Since I'm back you have to come to lunch soon."

"Dorothy. It's time to go inside!" A man that Rachel recognized as the mayor called.

 _'_ _So Michelle was friend with the Mayor's daughter… But wait a minute…Isn't the manager of Glesswood park a descendent of the last mayor? I remember Mrs Harper saying something about it. Maybe I should accept her offer to have lunch to gather more information.'_ The petite girl looked at Dorothy. "I would be happy to eat lunch with you."

"Great. I will talk to you after the service." Dorothy stated before leaving.

The diva needed to know more about Glesswood and this was the perfect opportunity…


	12. Here when i need you

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.

A/N: Sorry for the late update, I'm working on a one-shot for the Pezberry week.

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Here when I need you**

A few days later, Rachel was standing in front of the Mayor's house, ready to have lunch with Michelle's friend, Dorothy. The house was big and when she knocked on the door, a maid welcomed her and invited her inside. She knew she wasn't supposed to be in awe at how beautiful the inside of the place was - guessing Michelle had already visited her friend before - but it was hard not to acknowledge the paintings and furniture around.

The diva was led into the dining room where Dorothy was already waiting for her.

The brown-haired girl smiled at her. "Michelle! I'm glad you were able to come."

"Thank you for inviting me." The petite girl answered, as she sat across from her.

"I hope you are hungry, I asked the cook to make some of your favourite meals."

For almost an hour Dorothy shared the tale of her month away at her grandparents as they ate lunch. When desserts came, the girl turned her full attention toward the diva and asked. "So, how is Santiago?"

The Jewish girl stopped her spoon midway to her mouth and looked at the girl in confusion. "What? Why do you ask?" She couldn't help but be suspicious about this question. She didn't know how close Dorothy and Michelle were so it was better to be cautious.

"Well last time we spoke you seemed to be awfully preoccupied with him..." Dorothy replied with a knowing smile.

Rachel didn't really know what to say and even less why she suddenly felt flustered. But it seemed like Michelle trusted the girl enough to talk about Santiago and she could use a friend right now who wasn't Santana. "Santiago is fine. Well as fine as you can be in a town of close-minded people…"

"I heard what happened while I was gone… I know you don't want to share the details with me because of my father but if you need anything I am here for you. You've always supported me when I told you I wanted to be a writer even though it is hard for women and I want you to do the same." The brown-haired girl said genuinely.

The diva smiled, maybe they had another ally aside from Mary in this town. "That's really kind of you, thank you."

"Actually, I know father said it's a silly idea but I started writing a novel. And please don't be mad but I took my inspiration from the two of you." Dorothy confessed sheepishly. "As a romantic, I find your story really beautiful and I hope someday people will be free to love who they love but in the meantime I can make it happen in my book. I can mix reality and fiction and since you don't want to tell me how you went from nemeses to lovers, I …"

"What?" The brunette frowned before something clicked. Prudence Harper talked about a legend written about the town and the couple. Maybe Dorothy was the one writing it. Legends are always based on true events and the rest created along the way. She couldn't really know how Michelle got with Santiago because Michelle refused to share it with her but she had obviously shared some details. But how could she know about their tragic end? It would mean she had to be around when it happened. This new piece of information was shedding a new light on their fate.

"If you are really opposed to it I won't but…"

"No…" The petite girl needed to read Dorothy's notes, it might help her fill some blanks in 'their story'. "Perhaps you could show me what you've written so far."

The brown-haired girl hesitated for a while before answering. "I don't really like to show my work before it's done but since it's you, I think I can do it."

"Thank you, I really appreciate it."

The girls finished their meal quickly after and Dorothy promised to show Michelle her novel. On her way back to Abigail's shop, Rachel smiled happily for the first time in a while. She couldn't wait for the day to end so she could share this new piece of information with Santana.

* * *

It was finally night time and Santana was waiting for Rachel to show up at the barn. The girl was late which had only happened twice so far but usually it was 15 minutes. The Latina was waiting for almost 30 minutes now and was starting to get worried. Sure it could only be because of Abigail but her psychic Mexican third eye was telling her it was something else.

After waiting for another 5 minutes, she decided to make her way downtown, thinking that she would bump into the girl if she was on her way. God, she missed her cellphone in these moments…

The raven-haired girl reached town without seeing Rachel so she decided to walk towards the shop. When she approached it, she knew why she had a bad feeling. The brunette was surrounded by four men, all friends with Cole and she looked uneasy. Despite being pretty far from them, Santana decided to make her presence known by calling the girl. "Michelle." She shouted loud enough to be heard.

Rachel sighed in relief as she heard Santana's voice. She looked one last time at the men "Now if you'll excuse me, I must be on my way." She stepped forward but the taller man pushed her backward.

"Not so fast, little lady. Didn't you hear what we said? You have to marry Cole and stay away from this filthy Mexican."

The diva glared at him. "And like I said, I don't have to take any advice from you. So I'll ask you again, leave us alone."

"Is there a problem?" The former cheerleader asked, walking as fast as she could towards the group.

"If you take it that way…" The taller man nodded to his blonde friend.

The blonde man, Peter, glanced behind him at the approaching figure of 'Santiago' and smirked. "We would never hurt a woman but we will gladly beat her precious lover."

"Look who's here." The redhead boy exclaimed. "Isn't it the man who stole you from Cole?"

The brunette huffed affronted by his comment. "He didn't steal me, I am not an object! I am my own person and I decide…"

Andrew, the last man of the group who had stayed silent so far spoke. "That type of talk could get you in trouble but don't worry, Cole will put you back to your place." The small brown haired man locked eyes with the girl before adding. "But until then, you will watch what happens to people who don't follow the rules."

"Hey, leave her alone douchebags!" Santana finally reached the men and Rachel. She quickly pushed the taller one and moved next to the petite girl. She opened her mouth to speak again but the small man punched her. She stumbled against the wall of the store and tried to recover. The man surged forward ready to punch her again but the Latina dodged his fist, making him punch the wall instead.

When he moved to hold his fist in pain, Santana took advantage of it to kick him in the groin before quickly dodging the attempt of the blonde man to hit her too. The Latina punched him, hissing in pain before grabbing Rachel's hand and running away from them. She quickly scanned the street before deciding to go toward Mary's practice. When they approached the place, she saw that despite the late hour, there was still light in the building.

* * *

As soon as the girl reached it, Santana hastily knocked on the door, eyes darting to the men running after them. She kept pounding on the door until the blonde opened it with a confused face.

"Santiago, what…"

The raven-haired girl pushed the doctor back inside, not waiting for her to finish and closed the door behind her once everyone was in the practice.

"What is going on?" Mary asked worried.

"Ssshh." The former cheerleader shushed her. She moved closer to the window to check on the men who were following them. She could see them at the end of the street, staring in the direction of the practice.

"We had an altercation with some of Cole's friends." Rachel whispered to the blonde.

Santana glared at her before looking through the window again. The group seemed to be done with their talk and slowly walked away in different directions. "I think they're leaving."

The diva came closer to her friend. "Are you sure?" She rested her hand on her shoulder and leaned close to girl's face to look outside.

"Yes. It would be too risky for them to try anything with you here." Santana tore her eyes away from the window and looked at the diva's face an inch from hers. "Beside, it's getting late…"

None of them had realized how close they were until now; they were practically sharing the same air. They looked into each other eyes for a while but their moment was soon interrupted by the doctor.

"This is getting out of hand." Dr Quinn exclaimed, making both girls jump apart. "We should go see the sheriff."

The Latina scoffed, quickly moving away from the window and from Rachel. "As if he would be on my side."

"Maybe not you but he would listen to Michelle." Mary pointed out, grabbing Santana's hand and leading her to the exam table to check her bruising eye. "Let me take a look at your face. Did they punch you?"

"Yeah but I hurt two of them, which is pretty good if you ask me." The tan girl said proudly before wincing slightly at Mary's touch.

"I imagine." The doctor laughed before getting serious. "I know you can take care of yourself Santiago but still, they are getting impatient and I'm afraid that some day you won't be able to get away in one piece …" She cupped the Latina's cheek.

"Come on, don't get all soft on me, I'm a big gi..guy." Santana joked, putting her hand on top of Mary's.

"This is serious…Please, go to the sheriff tomorrow." Mary insisted.

"I don't know, what do you think?" The Latina inquired, standing up before looking at Rachel.

The brunette who was watching the scene with rapt attention, shook her head to focus on Santana's words. She could feel a weird feeling of jealousy creeping inside her chest and she had no idea why. Santana was allowed to have a friend here and they needed all the support they could get but something felt wrong and she couldn't pinpoint what. She forced a smile before saying. "It could force them to back down if I tell him they've been bothering me…"

The former cheerleader nodded. "Okay, then we'll go first thing in the morning."

"We should all stay here tonight, just in case." The blonde stated. "I'm going to prepare the bed I sleep in when I'm too tired to go home."

The petite girl waited for Mary to leave the room before speaking. "Thank you, Santana. For you know, coming to my rescue and once again getting hurt to help me." She would have never thought the girl could be so selfless and caring and again, Santana had proved her wrong. The Latina was so much better than she had thought and she wanted to discover more and more about the girl.

The taller girl shrugged as if it was nothing. "I got worried when you didn't show up so of course I came looking for you."

"But you didn't have to and…"

"We're friends, right?" Santana cut her off. "So that's what friends do or whatever…"

The Jewish girl smiled slightly. "Still, thank you."

The Latina smirked before joking. "Are you going to hug me thank you because I need a warning."

"If it bothers you that much to receive my affection, Santana, you should just say so and I will stop but you didn't seem to mind when it was Mary giving you some…" Rachel retorted despite herself.

The raven-haired girl frowned. "What?"

"Nothing." The brunette sighed. "This has been an awfully long day and I'm tired." She lied. She was angry at Santana for no apparent reason but she was trying to not fight with her for the wrong reason, especially inexplicable jealousy.

The tan girl raised her eyebrow as she crossed her arms. "Don't lie, I…"

"Okay, it's ready." Dr Quinn said as she stepped into the room. "You two must be tired, you should go get some rest."

Rachel ignored Santana's inquisitive look on her and thanked Mary before quickly going to the other room. Hopefully, the Latina will let the matter go and they could continue their friendship...

* * *

The next day, Rachel and Santana went together at the sheriff's office. Sheriff Johnson looked surprised to see them at first but quickly recovered. He nodded with his hat and asked how he could help them.

"We would like to report an incident that happened last night." Rachel stated.

The man motioned for the diva to sit in front of his desk, barely acknowledging Santana. "Tell me everything, young lady."

The brunette glanced at her friend before sitting down. "Last night, I was outside my mother's shop when suddenly…"

"Wait." The bearded man cut her off. "What were you doing outside after night fall?"

"Why does it matter?" Santana knew it was a bad idea to come here, the man didn't seem to appreciate Santiago and was ready to judge Michelle for whatever she was about to say. She wished she could say cops were better in the future but she wasn't sure it was true…

"Mr Cruz, I am the one asking the questions here." The Sheriff looked sternly at her before focusing back on Rachel. "Please, continue."

"I thought I left my book there so I went to check but I didn't find it." The petite girl lied. "I was ready to go home when four men accosted me."

"Do you know these men?"

"Of course we know them!" The Latina exclaimed, frustrated. "It was some of Cole Flint's precious friends."

"Yes, it's was Andrew, Peter and two others…" Rachel added. "They asked me to give Mr Flint another chance."

"Alright…" Mr Johnson paused to scribble something on a piece of paper. "Ms Cruz, I'd like to speak with Ms Bercoran privately, could you wait outside?"

"What? Why?" The raven-haired girl asked confused.

"I want her to feel free to talk to me and I don't think she can do that with you around." The man explained.

Santana scoffed. "Bullshit."

"I don't mind, Mr Johnson." The petite girl said.

"Well I do, so please, wait outside." The sheriff commended.

The tan girl raised her hands up in frustration. "Fine!" She smiled reassuringly at Rachel before glaring at the sheriff and leaving the building.

Mr Johnson stood up and went to the other side of the desk, leaning against it. "So Ms Bercoran, can you explain to me why Mr Cruz has a black eye? Was he a part of the altercation?"

Rachel sighed, she was starting to doubt this talk would lead anywhere. "That's not what you think. He happened to be around and when he saw Cole's friends bothering me, he came to help. When they saw Santiago, they told me they were going to hurt him and one of them punched him. Then everything happened in a blur and next thing I know, we were running away from them."

"But why would they act like that if they were just having a friendly chat with you about Mr Flint. Are you sure Mr Cruz didn't provoke them?"

"Are you serious?" The diva looked at him in disbelief. Despite telling him Santiago had nothing to do with it, he kept trying to make him responsible somehow. "There was nothing friendly about our talk and Santiago was just trying to protect me!"

"Mmhh Mhh" The man hummed, clearly unconvinced. "What type of relationship do you have with Mr Cruz?"

"What?" The brunette asked astonished. "What does it have to do with what happened to me last night? Santiago is not the problem, Cole and his friends are. I'm here to ask for your help because I need you to tell them to leave us alone. You are the sheriff of this town, it is your duty."

"Can I give you some advice, young lady?"

The Jewish girl clicked her tongue in annoyance; she guessed there was no point saying no. "Please do." She said with a fake smile.

"You are a nice girl, Michelle, you are smart and hardworking, you have helped your mother at the store since your father passed away. You could make a man happy but lately, you've been mingling with people you shouldn't. It would be better to associate with people more like yourself. I'm just trying to look at for you because your father was a friend of mine so trust me when I say you should stay away from Santiago and his family. I wouldn't want you getting hurt."

Rachel blinked, not believing what she just heard. "Unbelievable…" She shook her head. She was clearly wasting her time and the best thing to do now was leave and hope he would at least talk to Cole and his friends… "I need to go help my mother at the store, but I would be grateful if you could take my complaint into account."

"Will do, young lady, have a nice day." The sheriff smiled and nodded goodbye.

The brunette rolled her eyes "You too." She quickly left the building and joined Santana outside.

The Latina smiled at her and led her on the side of the alley. "How did it go?"

The diva sighed tiredly. "As useless as you expected…"

The raven-haired girl snorted. "Yeah, got that feeling as soon as we stepped inside."

"I need to go back to the shop but I'll see you tonight." Without thinking, the petite girl kissed Santana's cheek before leaving.

The tan girl grinned goofily, even though there was no reason to but her smile faded away when she saw Sheriff Johnson leave his office. She raised an eyebrow questioningly and decided to follow him.

Santana was right to do so because she soon found him talking with Cole and his friends in front of the saloon. She hid behind some barrels on the side of the building and tried to hear their conversation.

"You should lay off the Mexican for a bit, I don't want it to get out of hand. I might not like them but the mayor tolerates them, probably because of Mr Cruz's money. And between us, I'm too busy to deal with another corpse showing up." Mr Johnson laughed happily with Cole's gang.

"Son of a bitch…" Santana shook her head. "I hope you'll all burn in the fire, you racist pricks." She sighed wearily, discreetly making her way back toward the ranch. "I so want to go home…"


	13. Enjoy the music

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any of the songs used in this chapter.

A/N: Thank you Joanarbis for your help with the song part =)

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Enjoy the music**

Rachel complaining to the sheriff forced Cole's friends to back down and since then, they had been leaving the girls alone. Still, Santana could feel it was just the calm before the storm and she wanted Rachel to learn how to defend herself.

The Latina knew it would require some planning to bring Rachel to the ranch so they had waited until the girl had some deliveries to do. Rachel had been confused by her request at first, since she had stayed vague on why she wanted her there, then worried people would see her but Santana had reassured her by telling her Ricardo would be away on business all day. Things might be 'easier' between Santiago's dad and her, the man only acknowledging her to give her tasks to do but it didn't mean she wanted him around while Rachel was there.

* * *

It was Thursday afternoon and Santana was waiting for the diva at the Ranch entrance. Once she spotted Rachel's carriage, she stepped forward with a smile. She waited for the girl to stop her vehicle before greeting the brunette. "Howdy!"

Rachel chuckled. "Hello to you too, Santana." She smiled brightly. She stood up and was ready to step out of carriage when the Latina moved closer, putting her hands on her waist and lifting her slightly **-** which surprised her a little bit as she automatically put her hands on the Latina's shoulders- before Santana let her go once her feet touched the floor. She blushed before looking at her friend. "Thank you."

"No biggie." The raven-haired girl replied, unfazed by her action. "So ready?"

The brunette crinkled her nose in confusion. "Seeing as I have no idea why you were so adamant that I come to the ranch today, I'm afraid I can't really answer your question."

"Ohh right, I forget, my bad." The former cheerleader answered innocently. "You are here for a shooting lesson."

The Jewish girl blinked. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Everyone has a gun here…" The tan girl shrugged. "And since in the tale, the douche uses one to try to kill us, well Santiago and Michelle, it would be best for you to learn how to use it."

"I certainly won't do that." Rachel crossed her arms in front of her chest and frowned. "You know I don't condone violence."

Santana rolled her eyes. "Listen, you need to put your Ghandi crap aside for a while. This little truce with those pricks won't last. We had a sneak peek of what they are capable of a few days ago so when they come bothering us again, lecturing them on equality and I don't know what rainbow shit you could come up with won't be enough."

The diva huffed, stomping her foot. "I won't carry a gun with me, Santana."

"I'm not saying you have to, I'm just saying you need to know how to use one if something happens." The Latina clarified as she grabbed the girl's elbow and led her toward one of the barns.

"I really don't see the point." The petite girl insisted as she reluctantly followed her friend.

"Really? Because if we remember Mrs Harper's historic tale correctly, we're getting closer to the fire and we still don't know how it happens so we should be prepared for every eventuality." The raven-haired girl let go of the diva and grabbed some empty bottles she had gathered before Rachel arrived

"But…"

"Could you like, not fight me on this one?" The taller girl cut her off with a sigh. "I just want you to be able to defend yourself when I'm not around to do it myself." The words were out of her mouth before she could even stop herself. The brunette was looking at her slightly agape. Before the brunette could say anything, the raven-haired girl added. "Besides, it won't take long and then you'll be able to leave."

The brunette sighed wearily. Even though she was touched by the girl's intention, it was something she wished she didn't have to do. "Fine, I will do it but I feel the need to remind you that violence shouldn't always be answered with violence. We're not savages…"

The tan girl snorted. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, short sack." She motioned for Rachel to follow her toward the field.

"Why do I even bother?" Rachel muttered.

* * *

Once Santana was done setting everything up, she asked Rachel to stand at safe distance from the targets on the fence. The girl had been lecturing her on guns and human rights for the past ten minutes. She mostly tuned her out because it wasn't like she wanted to hurt or kill anyone, as awful as they were, but she just wanted to be prepared in case shit hit the fan. She thought the girl would understand that, knowing how the diva liked to be prepared for everything but it didn't seem like it. Or maybe the brunette was aware of it and this was her way of coping with what could happen…

"Am I far enough here?" Rachel asked from her spot.

"Yeah, you're good." Santana moved behind the diva. She gently rested her hands on the girl's hips and started explaining. "Put your feet about a shoulder width apart and perpendicular to the target. Your right foot slightly behind."

The diva froze at the touch for a second before relaxing. "Okay…" She swallowed the lump in her throat. The touch was innocent and yet it stirred something within her. She took a deep breath, trying to shake whatever it was that she was feeling right now.

"Flex your knees and lean forward a bit." The Latina tapped slightly behind the girl's leg before grabbing her gun from the holder. She put the gun in the diva's hands, making sure they were positioned correctly on the grip. "Extend your arms and keep the gun at eye level. You have to hold it firmly."

The brunette did as asked. "Like that?"

The raven-haired girl leaned her body against the diva's back and rested her chin on her shoulder before running a hand along the girl's arm to align it perfectly. "You have to pull the trigger slowly and be prepared for the drawback." She said right into Rachel's ear.

Rachel shivered at the action and turned her head to the side, her face an inch away from Santana's as the girl locked eyes with her. Her breath hitched at the intensity of the moment and she could swear Santana's did too. It was so surreal, what was happening to them…

The diva felt the Latina's hand squeeze her hip. She inhaled sharply, her finger closing involuntarily around the trigger before both girls stepped back as the shot flew wild through the air. "Sweet Barbra!" She exclaimed wild eyed.

The tan girl blinked a few times, trying to get rid of the weird daze she was in before she registered Rachel had shot. She moved away quickly and glared. "What the fuck, Rachel? Did I say you could fire? I wasn't finished! Do you want to kill us?" She shouted.

"I didn't mean to! It was an accident!" The brunette cried. "Are you okay?" She had been so caught up by their closeness that her brain had somehow fried. It was very confusing.

"Yes!" Santana barked, grabbing the gun from the diva's hand. "You suck! Never do that again, ever!"

"That's why I don't want guns!" The petite girl glared offended. "I'm really bad at this, we should stop."

"No, no, no, no, no." The Latina shook her head. "That's exactly why you need to learn how to use one."

"Santana…"

"Rachel." The tan girl growled, putting the gun back in the girl's hand. "Get back in position. Let's try again. Focus this time."

"Don't say I didn't warn you…" Rachel mumbled while resuming her stance to try again.

* * *

A few days later, Rachel was at the barn like every night since they arrived and she was waiting for Santana. For once, it seemed like the girl was late. Usually it was easier for the Latina to sneak out of her house. She didn't know if it was because of the Cruz's or because she had a lot of practice before but either way, Santana was often the first to show up at the barn.

Things had been a little awkward between them since their 'moment' at the ranch but neither of them had brought the subject up and if she was honest, Rachel was still too confused about it to discuss it with Santana.

The diva sat on a trunk and waited patiently until she heard some voices near the barn. None of them was Santana's and the girl wouldn't risk their secret spot by bringing someone with her. Trying not to panic, she looked around the barn to find a place to hide. When she spotted an old barrel in the corner, she rushed toward it. She pulled it enough on the side to be able to slide her body behind it and quickly kneel down. When she couldn't hear the voices outside, she sighed in relief and stood up.

The brunette was about to push the barrel back into the corner when something caught her eye. It was a journal, the same type as the one Michelle had. She stared at it for a moment. Could it be possible that Michelle and Santiago were also using this place to meet? She grabbed the journal and checked the first page. It was the last journal she had been looking for. She turned a few pages and stopped when a sentence caught her attention. "Last night, I met Santiago at the barn, he told me he needed to talk. I don't really know how it happened but we started fighting and out of nowhere, he kissed me…" Rachel couldn't believe what she was reading. She was about to keep reading when she heard someone approaching. She quickly hid the journal, knowing it would have to wait. She turned around just in time to see Santana enter the barn.

"Good evening, Santana." Rachel greeted before noticing the guitar in the girl's hand. "Oh my god, where did you get that?"

"I found it in Santiago's room." Santana replied.

"Aww, he has musical spirit." The diva smiled at the thought. "I understand why Michelle likes him."

The Latina snorted. "You're ridiculous."

"I am not." The brunette argued. "I think it's sweet."

The tan girl rolled her eyes, albeit amused by the diva's reaction. "Of course you do."

"Too bad none of us know how to play." The petite girl declared sadly.

"Actually…" The raven-haired girl started, scratching behind her ear as a sudden nervousness ran through her. "I might know how to play the guitar and…" She puffed some air. "I know you miss singing and me too, so I thought we could just sing for one night. No talking or planning, just music…"

Rachel was touched by the girl's offer. After all, Santana had complained numerous times about her singing too much in glee but here she was, offering a nice evening of singing together. It was so thoughtful of her. How could have she missed all these sides of the girl? The Latina was so much more than the HBIC she was at McKinley. The diva was also surprised that Santana knew how to play an instrument since she never mentioned it during glee. Maybe she was shy about it… "You want us to sing?"

The former cheerleader shrugged. "I only know a handful of songs so don't get your panties in a bunch."

The Jewish girl grinned. "Do you know 'Thank you' by Dido?"

Santana raised her eyebrow. "Interesting choice of song…" She sat on a piece of wood and put the guitar on her lap. "And of course I know it, I love Dido. I learned some of her songs with Puck."

"Really?" Rachel asked, once again surprised by the girl.

The taller girl rolled her eyes. "Yes and if anyone should be surprised by someone's taste in music, it should be me."

The brunette put her hand on her hip. "I'll have you know that I have eclectic taste in music. I don't only listen to musicals and divas."

"Whatever you say, short stack."

The diva huffed. "I'm going to ignore your comment. Let's sing instead." She cleared her throat. "Whenever you're ready…"

Santana started stroking the chords of the guitar, softly playing the melody…

 _My tea's gone cold, I wondering why I got out of bed at all._

 _The morning rain clouds up my window, and I can't see at all._

 _And even if I could it'd all be grey, but your picture on my wall.  
It reminds me that it's not so bad, it's not so bad_

Rachel had always felt free and happy while singing, and it was so good to feel like that again. She would have never thought the Latina would be her rock one day and yet she was. It was so surreal and yet it felt right, as if it was meant to be this way.

 _I drank too much last night, got bills to pay, my head just feels in pain._

 _I missed the bus and there'll be hell today, I'm late for work again._

 _And even if I'm there, they'll all imply that I might not last the day._

 _And then you call me and it's not so bad, it's not so bad and_

Her days in this era were hard and if she had sometimes felt like her days at McKinley were hell, it was nothing compared to her life here. Working at the shop was awful and the days were long. Her only joy was thinking about meeting with Santana at night fall. It was what made her get through her day and she had recently realised that.

 _I want to thank you for giving me the best day of my life  
Oh just to be with you is having the best day of my life_

The diva wanted to thank the girl for her support and despite all the bickering between them, the Latina had been a true friend to her and she needed her to know how grateful she was for that.

* * *

Rachel finished singing with a happy smile on her face and sighed in contentment. Santana smiled at her before asking. "So why this song?"

"I chose this song because I want to thank you as the title says. Since we've arrived here, you've kept your promises to stay around and help me. I know it's not always easy for you because people are judgmental and narrow-minded on a completely new level that would make the people from Lima look sympathetic but despite all that, you still make sure I'm okay. So thank you, it means a lot to me." The brunette explained. "I care about you and I hope we'll stay friends after this."

The Latina chuckled nervously. "It also says I gave you the best day of your life! Do you have something to tell me, Berry?" She tried to deflect.

The petite girl rolled her eyes. "It's not like that, it's just… knowing that we'll meet here at night makes me feel better. You are the best part of my day..."

"Well, thanks for that, I guess and…" The tan girl took a deep breath. "You're the best part of my day too or whatever…" Since their 'weird connecting moment' at the ranch, she didn't know how to act when Rachel was affectionate but on the other hand, she didn't want to dismiss the girl. It was all too confusing.

They fell silent for a while until Rachel spoke again. "You can sing something too if you want."

"Come again? Is the glee princess, Ms Rachel Barbra Berry suggesting someone else take the spotlight?"

"Very funny, Santana." The Jewish girl deadpanned as she sat down.

"I know, I'm hilarious." The raven-haired girl thought about a song to sing for a moment. "Okay I found a song. It's the last song I learned before we ended up in this place. It's called 'Forever and almost always' by Kate Voegele." She cleared her throat.

 _So the story goes on down the less traveled road. It's a variation on the one I was told_

 _And although it's not the same. It's awful close, yeah_

 _In an ordinary fairy tale land. There's a promise of a perfect happy end. And I imagine having just short of that Is better than nothing_

When Santana had confessed her feelings to Brittany, she had hoped it would be like in the movies. The girl would have said she loved her too and wanted to be with her and they would have been living happily ever after but it wasn't what happened.

 _So you'll be mine. Forever and almost always. And I'll be fine. Just love me when you can_

 _And I'll wait patiently. I'll wake up every day. Just hoping that you still care_

At first, she thought Brittany just needed time and would soon realise Artie was mistake. All she had to do was be patient. Every morning, she woke up in the hope she would have a text from the blonde on her phone, telling her she had changed her mind and wanted to be with her.

 _In the corner of my mind I know too well. Oh that surely even I deserve the best_

 _But instead of leaving. I just put the issue to bed And outta my head_

She had always ignored things, hoping they would go away on their own but she was still seeing Brittany almost every day and she was still hurt from having been rejected. But she kept hoping the girl would realise her feelings for her.

 _Oh and just when I believe. You've changed for good_

 _Well you go and prove me wrong, Just like I knew you would_

A few times, the Latina had thought her patience had paid off. Every time Brittany would ask to spend time with her, or hug her, or kiss the corner of her mouth… But it never changed; Brittany kept talking about how they were just best friends.

 _When I run out of second chances, You give me that look And you're off the hook_

After that, she would tell herself she needed to move on but then Brittany would smile at her, and she knew there was no point…

 _Because you're mine. Forever and almost always_

 _And I'm fine. Just love me when you can_

 _And I'll wait patiently. I'll wake up every day. Just hoping that you still care_

Oh, she waited, day after day for a sign the girl would want her but it never came…

 _Oh, what am I still doing here? Oh, it's all becoming so clear_

Along the way, she must have realised she was wasting her time.

 _You'll be mine. Forever and almost always_

 _It ain't right to just love me when you can_

 _Oh I won't wait patiently, Or wake up everyday. Just hoping that you'll still care_

The process had started before Nationals but right now, playing the guitar and feeling content and at peace, she realised she deserved to be loved. She deserved someone who reciprocated her feelings. She would always love Brittany but she realised she was not in love with her anymore…

 _Forever and almost always_

 _No it ain't right To just love me when you can, baby_

 _Ain't gonna wait patiently. I won't wake up everyday. Just hoping that you still care_

It was time to move one, she might not be able to talk about her sexuality to anyone, but Rachel was right, no everyone will judge her for it and she had some friends in her corner. With time she would find love. Fairy tales might not be true, but she hoped that with time, she would find a girl who would be her forever and definitely always…

Rachel clapped softly, smiling with watery eyes. "It was beautiful, Santana. Very raw and emotional." She cleared her throat. "If I may ask, why this song?"

Santana exhaled, trying to keep her emotions in check. She didn't know why she had felt the need to sing this song but it felt right. It was like she felt safe enough to share this, like she wanted Rachel to know she had moved on from Brittany and was ready to love, which didn't make any sense. Why would she care about what Rachel thought? It wasn't like she wanted to date the girl. Why was she even thinking about that? That was ridiculous. "It's sappy so I'd rather not…"

The diva laughed lightly. "Have you met me? You keep saying I'm the queen of cheesy, so please share. I mean, if you want to…"

"Are we going to sing kumbayah and hold hands after? Because if so, I'm leaving!" The Latina joked. She suddenly felt uncomfortable and started to regret her choice of song.

The brunette frowned at the answer. The girl had looked so honest and emotional during her performance that she had hoped it would continue that way. "I shared my reasons and feelings with you, why not do the same?"

"Because I'm not you!" The taller girl snapped. "God, why do you always have to push?"

The petite girl sighed frustrated at the change of behaviour. "All right, do as you wish, Santana…"

The former cheerleader growled. "You're annoying." She sighed as she ran her hand through her hair. "It's about how I thought Brittany was the one. I wanted to wait forever for her and it didn't matter if I hurt. I thought that if I gave her enough time, she would realise she loves me but lately and especially with all that soulmate crap story between Santiago and Michelle, I've rethought everything and… I deserve to be happy too, you know. I think without realising it, I moved on and even though I'm not ready to come out and everything, I want to be okay with my sexuality and I want real love…"

"That's beautiful and you will find someone someday. You are an amazing person, Santana, you deserve to be happy." Rachel reached out and squeezed the girl's hand, smiling supportively. She was glad Santana trusted her enough to confess things to her. She had to admit she was a bit disappointed Santana didn't sing a song about her or their friendship, as self-centred as it sounded. Deep down, she was almost jealous of Brittany for being the Latina's inspiration, even though in the end, it was clear the Latina wanted a new love, a new muse, a happier one. _'Someone like me...'_ She thought. _'Wait what? No, where is that even coming from? Playing this Maria and Tony type of love is starting to mess with my mind. I need to get a grip. I'm sure I'm thinking about that because of what I read in the journal. Yes, it must be that…'_

Santana rolled her eyes. "Don't be so gay, Berry." She said to break her own discomfort.

"You're infuriating." The brunette shook her head in disbelief. How the girl could go from sweet to annoying in a second was a mystery.

"Part of my charm." The tan girl smirked.

The diva snorted despite herself. "If you say so." Knowing the girl would refuse to talk about serious matters after that, she said. "What other songs do you know?"

The Latina smiled. "What about a duet? Let's see…"

Rachel and Santana sang until it was time to going home, forgetting about their situation for a little while…


	14. Helping hand

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee

A/N: I'm going away on vacation, I don't know when I'll post the next chapter yet.

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Helping hand**

The first thing Rachel did when she was alone was read the journal she had found in the barn. If the fire was happening soon, they needed all the information they could get. The first entries were about Michelle's father, how he liked Cole and wanted his daughter to marry him so they could take over the shop once he'd gotten old. Mr Bercoran seemed to be like a nice man, a good husband and a good father - well except for his definition of a good man since he rooted for Cole - which was why Rachel couldn't understand why someone would want to kill him. She wished she could find out who did it but it wasn't the reason why they were sent here in the first place and she was already in enough trouble without investigating old crimes.

A few pages further, Michelle was talking about Dorothy, how she was glad for the girl's friendship even though she didn't want to share the confusing feelings she had for Santiago. The diva raised an eyebrow at this comment. In the older journals, she could tell the girl was attracted to the boy without even being aware of it but here, it was clear she was slowly realising what the tension between them was all about.

Michelle also wrote a long part on Cole. The man kept showing up out of nowhere every chance he got, finding excuses to spend time with her. She was becoming uncomfortable around him but since she still cared about the tall boy, she couldn't find it in her heart to ask him to leave her alone.

The brunette finally reached the pages she had starting reading in the barn. Unconsciously, she reached for the necklace she hid under her dress, playing with the ring Santana had given her when they tried to leave town. It was a habit she had picked up for a while now without even noticing. It said things had been tense at home for both Michelle and Santiago and they couldn't help but find comfort in each other. They had grown a lot closer in the past few weeks and her feelings were more confusing than ever. After a bad encounter, they had decided to meet out of people's sight, choosing the Blake's old barn as their safe place.

"What were the odds that Michelle and Santiago would choose the same secret spot as us?!" Rachel mused at loud. Could it be possible that the 'force' that brought them here could also influence them in their actions?

As Rachel kept reading she saw that the girl seemed to be jealous of one of Santiago's friend with whom he was spending his afternoon with despite her knowing full well it was just a friend of the family. Michelle had decided to voice her concern to the boy but things didn't go as expected. Santiago had kissed her in the middle of the argument, leaving her breathless and yearning for more. The diva smiled, it was cute and passionate. But did it mean they were already a couple before Santana and her travelled back in time?

The petite girl turned the page, eager to read more but she frowned when she found a blank page. Her frowned deepened as she kept skipping through blank pages. She went back to the previous page and looked closer. It looked like the last page Michelle wrote had been ripped out. But why?

Unfortunately, it was time for her to leave and go meet Santana at the barn. She knew she should share this with the Latina but she wanted to know more before telling her anything…

* * *

 _A few days later…_

Santana entered the Cruz's house after spending her morning taking care of the horses. The first week at the ranch had been hard for her but soon, she had found a way to delegate most of her tasks to some workers, using her HBIC attitude to force people to do what she wanted them to do. It was like the ranch had became the new McKinley and just like at school, she wasn't planning on doing the dirty work, that was what minions were for. Just like in high school, she had to use the right threats to keep them silent but it seemed like they were used to Santiago telling them what to do so she just had to continue his work.

She still had to look busy whenever Ricardo was around so she was taking care of the horses, which wasn't so unpleasant, or chopping wood. To her surprise, it was something that was helping her release her anger and frustration.

That Latina hadn't share all that with Rachel because she was sure the girl would lecture her on how it wasn't okay to use people so it was better to keep it to herself.

The raven-haired girl yawned and stretched as she wandered into the kitchen. She would kill for a caramel macchiato right now and maybe a burger with some fries. Her stomach growled at the thought; she missed 21st century food.

"Ah, Santiago, there you are," Anita said, looking up from the food she was preparing. "Go outside and bring in the chicken."

The tan girl blinked confused. "Qué?"

"Go to the henhouse and bring me a chicken for dinner." Mrs Cruz repeated.

The former cheerleader looked at the woman blankly. "But like, alive?" She asked dumbly. Usually, when her mother was asking that, she had to go to the store and buy the already prepared chicken.

"No, tonto!" The older woman chuckled. "I need it to cook." She shook her head before going back to her task. When she noticed her son wasn't moving, she made a shoo movement with her free hand. "Sube!"

"Hum, yeah, okay." Santana hastily left the kitchen and went outside. There was no way she was going to kill a chicken. The only way she liked it was already cooked and on her plate, not running around in a field. She was so not in the mood for that. She looked around to see if she could ask someone to help her but there was no one in sight. ' _Great, the one time I need one of those morons, no one's here._ _ **'**_ She sighed defeated before making her way towards the henhouse.

* * *

Santana stared at all the chickens for a moment, living, breathing, clucking chickens. "Fuck it!" She said under her breath as she silently entered the henhouse, rolling her shirt sleeves up in preparation of her task. She walked around searching for her prey and when she spotted a white yellow-ish chubby chicken which didn't seem to move much **,** she approached it slowly. She leaned down in an attempt to catch the animal but it ran away quickly. She growled. "Come on Feather Locklear, don't be scared. Auntie Snixx just wants to have a little chat with you." She chased it around for a moment, scaring all the other chickens. Once she was close enough, she leaped forward, smiling in victory. Her smile faded away quickly when she landed in the dirt, the chicken clucking and pecking a few inches away from her face as if nothing had happened. She glared at it. "You fucking… This is war!" She stood up and dusted her clothes off before running after the chicken again.

* * *

After another 15 minute of chasing, Santana finally caught the chicken and hurriedly went back inside the house, holding it in front of her as the animal flapped its wings in panic, sending feathers everywhere.

Anita turned around as soon as Santana entered the kitchen. "Santiago, what are you doing? Don't play with that poor little thing; you're making a mess of my kitchen!" She wiped her hands on a towel and stepped forward. "I told you dead, this is not funny." She grabbed the chicken and calmly wrung its neck.

Santana's eyes went wide and she gasped despite herself. She felt bad for the poor animal. She shuddered when Santiago's mother handed her the chicken. Her mind instantly went to Rachel and how she would be disappointed in her for letting that happened. Why was she feeling a pang of sadness at the thought? Why was she even thinking about that?

Anita looked at her son expectantly. "Well? It needs plucking and gutting. Vamos!"

"Eww…" The former cheerleader took a step back as she shook her head.

"No seas un lloron!" Mrs Cruz put the animal in her hands. "You have strange behaviour lately, mijo. Are you sure everything is okay?"

The young girl forced a smile as she looked at the dead chicken. "No te preocupes, mami. Todo esta bien."

The older Latina raised her eyebrow. "How is Michelle?"

"What? Why?" Santana questioned suspiciously. Anita sounded too much like her mom when she knew something but wanted her to come clean about it first.

Anita smiled knowingly. "I saw her yesterday, she was very smiley. More than usual… You had the same smile on your face when you woke up this morning…"

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I better go and take care of the chicken." The raven-haired girl rushed out of the house without looking behind. It was like with her Mami, it was better to flee the place than face the kind of talk that was about to happen. The less Anita knew, the better. The woman was nice and she didn't want her to get hurt because she tried to interfere.

Once outside, Santana found Pablo and asked him to take care of the chicken. There was no way she could touch it again after that.

* * *

Rachel had been working at the shop all morning as usual. It was a busy day for Abigail and her because they had to deal with a delivery of fruits and vegetables from their local farmer.

The diva was carrying a heavy basket of apples inside the shop when a dog ran past her and made her lose her balance, spilling some of the apples on the floor. She sighed tiredly, she really wanted this day to end. She was so caught up in her thoughts, Michelle's journal, the fire, how to go back to her time and Santana. Her relationship with the Latina had evolved so much since they arrived. They were close now but lately, there was something else but she couldn't pinpoint what…

The brunette kneeled down to pick up the fruit and saw a hand reach for one of the apples. She looked up and saw Santiago's mother. "Mrs Cruz, you don't have to, it's okay." She smiled.

"It is no problem." The older woman said kindly, helping Rachel gather the apples in the basket.

"Thank you." The petite girl stated as she stood up. "You are very kind."

Anita stood up and smiled. "You are very kind too, Michelle, and very good to my son."

Rachel looked around to see if anyone was looking. She cleared her throat. "Santiago is a good friend." She nodded at the woman, hoping it would be the end of the conversation before going inside the shop.

Unfortunately, Mrs Cruz followed her. "I saw you with my son the other day…"

The Jewish girl was glad the place was empty and Abigail was busy in the back-store. "Like I said Mrs Cruz, we are friends…" She was starting to feel uncomfortable. She couldn't understand why Santiago's mother was talking to her. She knew the woman was nice but they were in the middle of the shop where anyone could see them. "I'm not trying to be rude, ma'am, but I'm a bit busy…"

"I'm just buying some groceries at your store. Am I not allowed?" The woman raised an eyebrow.

The diva frowned. This wasn't going as she wanted it to go. She didn't want Santiago's mother to hate her; she just wanted to avoid trouble. "Of course you are."

"And to be honest, I learned to ignore what people say about me and my family a long time ago and do as I please since." Anita stated, grabbing some herbs off a shelf and putting them on the counter.

The brunette glanced toward the back-shop before answering. "I applaud you on that but I don't have the same luxury."

Mrs Cruz looked at her for what felt like eternity before nodding. "Very well. Just tell me how much I owe you for the herbs."

The petite girl sighed in relief, glad the woman saw her uneasiness. "Of course." She started scribbling on a piece of paper.

"You should come to dinner at the ranch." Anita said like it was normal occurrence for her to invite people at the ranch.

Rachel looked at her in disbelief. Had she lost her mind? Santana and her were trying to keep their meetings under wraps because of all the tension in town and the woman wanted her to come to dinner "I beg you pardon?"

Mrs Cruz grabbed the piece of paper to look at the total and put the amount on the counter. "I'm sure you heard me, dear."

"I'm afraid I don't understand." The glee captain frowned. This woman was serious. Wasn't she aware of all the hate they were getting lately? What was she trying to do?

"And I understand you don't want to be in trouble but you shouldn't give up on love because people disapprove of your relationship." The Latina smiled supportively.

"Love?!" The Jewish girl choked. "We… I… No… Just…"

"A mother knows those things." Anita winked. "I'm just offering you a quiet place for the evening. My husband won't know about it, don't worry."

The diva blinked in confusion. What was happening? "I'm sorry Mrs Cruz, but I can't. It would raise numerous questions I'm not sure I can answer. And my mother…"

"Do you care for my son?" Santiago's mother cut her off.

"I… Yes, I do." The petite girl's mind immediately went to Santana and how she had come to care so much about her lately.

The Latina grinned before becoming serious again. "Then I'm sure just like me you want him to be happy."

"Of course but…"

"Spending an evening with you would make my son happy." Anita interrupted her again.

"Mrs Cruz…" The woman kept interrupting her. Rachel was completely losing the control of the conversation and she hated it. She liked to be free to express herself and she wanted people to listen but here, it was clear she didn't have any other choice than to listen and agree with whatever the woman's plan was.

Mrs Cruz raised her hand dismissively. "I won't take no for an answer, Michelle."

"But I can't just show up at the ranch!" The brunette exclaimed, slightly raising her voice in frustration.

"Don't worry about it." The Latina grabbed another piece of paper and wrote a list of groceries and utilities. "I want my order to be delivered for 6PM sharp on Friday."

"But…"

"Mrs Cruz…" Rachel and Anita turned their attention toward the back-shop door where Abigail was standing. "Is everything alright?"

"Good afternoon, Mrs Bercoran. Everything is fine. I was giving your daughter a list of goods I needed her to deliver this Friday."

"Then what is the problem, Michelle?" Mrs Bercoran asked as she stepped behind the counter.

 _'_ _Improvise, Rachel, Improvise.'_ The diva thought but her mind went blank. Luckily, Anita spoke for her.

"I was asking her if you needed baskets and wood crates." The Latina lied. "We have a few we don't need anymore and I was wondering if you wanted them. Your family has always agreed to deliver us at the ranch even though it was a bit far so it's the least we can do."

"You're so kind, Mrs Cruz. We could certainly need them."

"Very good. We will give them to Michelle when she'll come to deliver my order." Mrs Cruz grabbed her herbs and nodded at the women. "Have a nice day, ladies. Michelle I'll see you on Friday."

Rachel watched Anita leave mouth open. She wasn't sure what just happened but it seemed like Santiago's mother had given her the perfect opportunity to spend time with Santana without being afraid of someone 'seeing' them.

"I don't know why the Cruz woman is suddenly so generous and I hope it has nothing to do with you, Michelle, because I told you to stay away from them but we can't refuse her offer." Abigail looked at Rachel who tried to compose herself. "Sadly I can't come with you, Mrs Andrews is coming for dinner so you'll go alone Friday."

The diva nodded. Did Anita choose Friday on purpose? She really needed to talk to Santana about that…

"Go back to work now, we still have things to do." Mrs Bercoran ordered

"Yes, mother." The brunette replied absentmindedly, hoping the evening would come faster.

* * *

Rachel was cleaning the front of the shop after finishing sorting out the delivery of fruit when Cole appeared in front of her.

"So are you friends with Mrs Cruz now too?" The man asked, his tone anything but friendly.

The diva sighed tiredly. As if her day wasn't tiring enough, Cole had to show up. "Good afternoon, Cole." She greeted as politely as she could master while ignoring the boy's question.

"Are you planning on becoming friends with all the Mexicans in this town?"

"So what if I am?!" The brunette snapped. She didn't have the patience to deal with the boy anymore.

"Michelle…" Cole said in a warning tone. "I told you to stay away from those people and I hate to repeat myself. You better do as I say or..."

"Or what?" The petite girl cut him off, putting away her broom to face the man. "You're going to threaten me? Hit me? Throw rocks at my window? Like you did with Santiago and Mary?"

"They should know better than to go against the rules." The tall man stated through gritted teeth.

The Jewish girl crossed her arms defiantly. "What rules exactly?"

"Those bean eaters shouldn't mingle with us. And you shouldn't spend time with the Cruz. They stole our lands!"

"What?" Rachel crinkled her nose. It was funny how racist people still have the same argument a century later. "They bought them!"

"With money they stole from the whites!" The brown-haired man declared loudly.

"Oh my god!" The petite girl raised her hands in frustration. "Unbelievable…" She shook her head. She was done with all the close-minded people of this town. She already had to deal with them on regular basis at school, she would appreciate a break. "I think you should leave now, Cole." She took a step toward the shop but the boy grabbed her arm tightly.

"If you don't stop this nonsense, I might not be able to protect you next time Santiago or his people step out of line."

"Cole, let me go, you are hurting me." Rachel tried to pull her arm away from his tight grip but he kept squeezing it. She was sure she would have a bruise just like she had after the fair.

"That's enough gringo, let the lady go." Ricardo appeared behind them and grabbed the boy's shoulder.

Cole shrugged the hand away. "That's none of your business, old man. This is between me and my girlfriend. You should leave."

"I am NOT your girlfriend." The diva exclaimed angrily, still trying to free her arm.

Mr Cruz gripped Cole's shoulder again and pushed him away. "I'm afraid this is my business since the moment you insulted my family."

The tall boy let go of Rachel to face Mr Cruz. "What are you going to do about it, hombre?" He sneered.

"You may think you are a big man, Cole, but all I see is a scared little boy who likes to bully people and hide behind daddy when things get tough." Ricardo leaned close to his face. "I will warn you only once. Insult me or my family again and I will knock your ass in the dirt in front of all your little friends here. I am not scared of you or your little gang."

Cole glared at the man for a moment. "This is not over." He huffed before leaving.

Mr Cruz followed the boy from the corner of his eyes, making sure he was leaving before turning his attention to Rachel. He looked at her arm, like he was making sure it was okay. "You might want Dr Quinn to take a look at it." He stated before turning around to leave.

"Hum, Mr Cruz…" Rachel said hesitantly. The man had come to her help when he didn't have to and despite the fact that she wasn't so fond of him, she wanted to thank him. "Thank you."

Mr Cruz nodded at her with the hint of smile before walking toward the saloon.

The brunette sighed for the hundredth time today. She really needed to see Santana. More than that, she longed to see her. She needed to feel close to her, to feel comforted by her, to have the girl hold her close and tell her everything would be okay. The thought scared and confused her but left her feeling somehow exhilarated, like everything would be okay if they were just together.


	15. Does your mother know?

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or the song used in this chapter

A/N: i'm not sure i can write Pezberry anymore but i don't want to let this story unfinished so i'm gonna try to finish it and post the end soon...

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Does your mother know?**

It was finally night time and Santana rushed to the barn. She had had a talk with Anita about 'Michelle' coming to dinner on Friday and she really wanted to know what had happened and if Rachel was okay and if Santiago's mother had got her in trouble. She reached their secret place almost at the same time as the diva.

The Latina didn't even get the chance to speak when she entered the barn before Rachel was hugging her. "What's up with you?" She questioned as she hugged the girl back. She didn't want to admit that it felt good so she enjoyed it for a few seconds before breaking the embrace.

"I, hum…" Rachel tucked her hair behind her ear. "I just missed you today…"

The tan girl chuckled. "Is that so, Ms Bercoran?" She tried to act nonchalant but somehow it warmed her heart to hear the girl say that.

The petite girl sighed. "Why do I even bother?"

"Because I'm so awesome you missed me." The raven-haired smiled brightly.

"Well, I would like to change my previous statement." The Jewish girl pouted.

The taller girl shook her head. "Ah ah, nope, you can't." It was always funny to get the girl riled up, even though now it was only playful banter.

"I'm too tired for this…"

Santana looked at her friend. It was true, the girl seemed exhausted and somehow she wanted to cheer her up. She smiled as an idea came into her mind. "Does your mother know that you're out?" She sing-songed.

The diva crinkled her nose. "What?"

If the Latina was honest, she had always found it cute when Rachel was doing that. She cleared her throat, trying to get rid of that thought before saying in a melodic voice. "Take it easy. Better slow down girl. That's no way to go. Does your mother know?"

A smile slowly appeared on the brunette's face as she realised the girl was using song lyrics. "Oh my god, are you really quoting Abba? I wouldn't have pegged you for a fan…"

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me, Miss Berry…"

"Aren't you all mysterious, Miss Lopez?" The petite girl answered playfully

The raven-haired girl smirked before singing. " _I can see what you want, but you seem pretty young to be searching for that kind of fun. So maybe I'm not the one. Now you're so cute, I like your style. And I know what you mean when you give me a flash of that smile. But girl you're only a child._ " She started doing a stupid dance, swaying and moving her hands from one side to the other in an old 70's fashion. She held out her hand, motioning for the brunette to join her.

Rachel laughed before grabbing the girl's hands and dancing with her as she started singing the next part. " _Well I can dance with you, honey. If you think it's funny. Does your mother know that you're out?_ "

"Oh I think she does!" The tan girl exclaimed as she made Rachel sway and continued the song. "And I can chat with you baby. Flirt a little maybe." She winked exuberantly as she let go of Rachel. "Does your mother know that you're out?"

The diva giggled. "I hope not." She kept laughing until she registered what Santana had said. "Wait, your mother knows?" She asked seriously.

"I don't know. She just talked about the dinner Friday night." Santana shrugged. "What happened exactly? Did she get you in trouble?"

The brunette smiled at the girl's concern. "No actually, she found us the perfect cover to see each other. Although I'm a bit confused as to why she's doing this…"

The former cheerleader sighed. "She asked me about you, well about Michelle the other day and I guess she's decided to play cupid or something."

The Jewish girl nodded. "Did you talk to Santiago's father?

The Latina frowned. "No, why?"

"Earlier today after your Anita's visit, Cole came to the shop and things got a little out of hand…" Rachel trailed off, bracing herself for Santana's reaction.

"What? What happened? I'm so gonna ends him!" Santana growled. She was so tired of the racist prick and his friends but now, he had gone too far. It was one thing to go after her, she didn't care, but Mary and now her midget, hell no! She was so worked up that she didn't even realize she was referring the petite brunette as her midget.

"Santana." The petite girl stepped forward, putting a hand above Santana's chest to prevent her from leaving. The Latina looked at the hand then at Rachel in confusion. The diva blushed and quickly removed her hand before clearing her throat. "Mhh, yes, hum, as much as I appreciate your protectiveness, it's too late now. In fact, another Cruz came to my rescue."

The Latina stared at Rachel, confused by the pretty intimate gesture. When the diva talked again, she shook her head to focus on her words.

"Cole insulted you, well Santiago and then he grabbed my arm like he did at the dance. That was when Ricardo jumped into the conversation and helped me. He even defended you." The brunette explained. "Somehow he reminded me of you. Don't get me wrong, I'm still not too fond of the man but he put himself in harm's way to defend the people he cares about, just like you do…"

Santana laughed nervously. "Oh, so you think I care about you now?"

Rachel locked eyes with her and simply said. "Yes."

The tan girl stopped laughing as the sudden seriousness. "I…" She was ready to answer when she heard voices approaching the barn. She rushed next to Rachel and put her hand over the girl's mouth, bringing a finger in front of her lips to signal the girl to be silent.

Both girls stayed silent, looking into each other's eyes as they waited for the voices to move away.

Somehow, Santana felt flustered by the closeness of the girl and she could tell by Rachel's shallow breathing that she wasn't the only one. She could almost swear she saw something sparkle in the diva's eyes…

When the Latina was sure they were safe, she took a big step backward and cleared her throat. "I hum… Sorry, I wanted to warn you but I couldn't take the risk of them hearing us…"

"It's okay…" The diva smoothed her dress nervously.

"It looks like more people are walking around the barn lately. We have to be even more careful than before." The taller girl stated.

"Yes, you're right." The brunette answered absentmindedly.

The two girls stood in the middle of the barn for a moment, clearly not knowing what to say after what happened.

"I think I should go." Rachel announced. "I will see you tomorrow. Good night, Santana…"

Santana's face fell in disappointment to see the girl go but she quickly recovered. "Good night, Rachel…"

* * *

Friday night arrived quickly and Santana was pacing nervously around the small wooden table. Something about the way it was laid out felt off and she couldn't tell what it was. She didn't even know why it was important, it was only Rachel coming over for God's sake. She just wanted everything to be right. The last few weeks had been really hard on them both and they had got each other through. That was all this was, this nervous excitement, wanting everything to be perfect, checking her outfit a dozen times.

"Santiago, come and help me over here. You are wearing a groove in the floor circling that table." Anita chuckled from over by the stove.

"What?" The younger Latina questioned. She couldn't believe Anita had cooked her a meal, she was really playing her role to the fullest. On top of that, she couldn't understand how Ricardo hadn't noticed what was happening in the kitchen and questioned the quantity of food his wife was preparing, After all, it was supposed to be just 'Santiago' alone at home. But then again, the man couldn't care less about what was going on beyond his office.

"Are you nervous, Santo?" Santiago's mother teased.

"What?" The tan girl scoffed. "No!"

"Mhh mhh. Come here and watch the stove, would you. I'm going to finish getting ready, it's almost time for us to leave.

"Okay…"

* * *

Ricardo and Anita left soon after to visit some friends and as if on cue, Rachel arrived a few minutes later. Santana found the girl nervously standing on the porch and she couldn't help but smile at the sight. Rachel had never let herself be intimidated by her, she had never been afraid of her or at least never showed it and was definitely not one to back down from a fight, even when she was ready to go Lima Heights on her. She had always respected the girl for that but now it was different, their dynamic was different and it was weird to see the girl so nervous about a dinner with just the two of them. Maybe Rachel was like her, just afraid something could go wrong, what else could they be nervous about? They were friends who were about to have a nice dinner together, there was no big deal, at least that's what she kept telling herself…

The Latina opened the door and quickly motioned for Rachel to follow her into the dining room.

"I made a pie. I didn't know if I was supposed to bring something but I couldn't resign myself to come empty handed. 19th century or not, I still have manners."

The raven-haired girl smiled. "Apple?"

"Yes, Abigail wasn't really fond of the idea so I couldn't go too fancy on the dessert…" The diva explained.

"It's cool, I like apple pie, beside I didn't have any dessert to offer so, yeah, it's good." The tan girl pulled the chair out for Rachel and went to her seat. She was a bit surprised at her own gesture but she brushed it off.

The brunette smiled brightly and put the pie on the table. "I have to admit, I was surprised to see Pablo greeting me at the entrance. I was expecting you to be waiting for me at the fence…"

"I know but it was easier to let him take care of your horse and put the wood crates in the carriage while I was finishing stuff here…" Santana shrugged as she sipped some water.

"Oh okay."

"Are you hungry?" The former cheerleader asked as she stood up.

"Yes, I didn't eat much at lunch." The petite girl stated as she put the napkin on her lap.

"Oh my god, what happened to Rachel Berry? If it was me telling you that, you'd talk my ear off on how I should eat properly and blablabla."

"Very funny, Santana." Rachel rolled her eyes. "We just had a lot of work at the shop today and since Abigail also had plans for tonight, I had to deal with most of the customers…"

"Well lucky you, you're going to test Anita's food and it's pretty good." The Latina saw Rachel open her mouth and to prevent her rant, she quickly added. "She made meat but I asked if she could do vegetables and crap for you…"

The diva grinned. "You remembered I'm vegan?"

"It's not like I was paying attention to what you were saying in glee but you repeated it so many times that it's like, engraved in my brain so yeah, if you're coming to dinner, the least I can do is to make food you can actually eat." The raven-haired girl was trying to act cool and detached but she sounded anything but. What was wrong with her? She usually had more game than that? _'Game, what, no, why was she even thinking about that?'_ Her eyes went wide at the thought. _'It's just a nice dinner with a friend, get a grip, Lopez.'_

"Still, you didn't have to." The brunette shyly put some hair behind her ear. "It's really sweet of you."

"Yeah, well, hum, I'm gonna go, hum, get the food, yeah…" Santana nervously stumbled on her words before hurriedly making her way to the kitchen.

After getting over the awkwardness of the moment, the two girls enjoyed their dinner. They talked about the people in town, how the fire was getting even closer and they needed to prepare for it despite not knowing how it would start. But the most surprising part was how they quickly changed subject and talked about glee and their life, as if they were old friends getting reacquainted. Santana would have never thought Rachel could be so easy to talk to when she wasn't in her glee diva mode.

* * *

After dinner, Rachel was ready to go back home but Santana surprised her by offering a ride on horse to visit the Cruz's property. Not wanting the evening to end so soon and seeing Mrs Bercoran would likely still be with her friend, the diva happily agreed.

The brunette followed the Latina at the stable where the girl gave her some pants and a shirt, telling her to change so she could be more comfortable. The diva looked at her in confusion. "You want me to change here?"

Santana rolled her eyes. "Don't be such a prude, it's not like anyone is watching." She petted a horse softly.

"Well, you are here…" The petite girl trailed off, hoping Santana would take the hint and give her some privacy.

The Latina scoffed. "As if I wanna see."

"Santana…" The Jewish girl was confident enough in her body to not be ashamed of it but it felt weird to change in front of Santana. She knew the girl wasn't even watching but since their relationship had evolved weirdly in the past weeks, she felt more comfortable changing alone.

"Come on." The taller girl turned around and looked at Rachel. "I know I've said otherwise a few times, but it's not like you don't have a nice body."

Rachel blushed at the compliment. "Thank you, Santana, I really appreciate it but… It's just…"

The tan girl sighed. "Fine! Whatever, I'll wait outside. Just hurry up if you want to enjoy the tour before you go home."

The brunette smiled gratefully. "I will, thank you."

Rachel and Santana had been riding their horses on a dirt path for an hour now, enjoying the calm and the scenery around them.

"This horseback ride is really nice, Santana. Thank you for allowing me to do it in your company."

"Sure." The Latina looked at her friend. "You know, you look pretty decent in a cowboy outfit." She frowned, it was like she had word vomit tonight and couldn't help complimenting the girl, what was wrong with her? Was there whiskey in her food? It wasn't okay...It was starting to be a little too overwhelming for her, this complimenting thing, or dare she say flirting. She had always been a bit flirty with her friends but still, it was Rachel, this closeness between them was getting too much and Santana needed to do what she had always done in this kind of situation. Run and forget. She needed a distraction, an excuse to go away just for a moment. "Catch me if you can, midget!" She pulled on the rein and leaned forward as the horse galloped, rapidly putting distance between them.

Rachel blinked. She couldn't understand why it felt like her heart had missed a beat with the way Santana looked at her. It was probably just fatigue. Quickly, she shook her head and tried to catch up with the Latina.

* * *

After five minutes of intensive racing, the diva was almost at Santana's level. Both girls were laughing at Rachel's attempts to touch Santana's shoulder. The brunette leaned on the side and touched her friend's arm before smiling proudly. "Now your turn, catch me." She said defiantly as she galloped faster.

The raven-haired girl chuckled, forgetting her discomfort. "That's gonna be easy."

As Rachel approached the forest, she tried to slow down the horse but instead, the animal stopped abruptly, catching her off guard and making her lose her balance. She fell with a shriek, landing hard on the ground.

"Rachel!" The tan girl shouted in horror, hastily stopping her horse and rushing to the girl's side to see if she was okay. "Rachel?! Are you hurt?"

"Mhhh, I think so…" The diva replied a bit shaken. "The mud cushioned my fall."

Santana kneeled down and scanned the girl's body. The brunette had some scratches and would probably have some bruises but she would be okay. "You have a little something on your face…" Without thinking, the Latina reached out and wiped some mud off the Rachel's cheek.

Rachel's breath hitched at the Latina's closeness, her gesture so soft on her skin. Santana locked eyes with her, realising how close they were. It was like they were under some spell and time had stopped.

The moment quickly ended when the Latina's horse nudged her, reminding them both where they were.

Santana cleared her throat. This type of moment kept happening, what was wrong with them? It was safer to call it a night, especially after Rachel's fall, the girl needed to rest. She stood up and helped Rachel get to her feet. "We should head back, it's getting late." She stated, looking everywhere but into the girl's eyes.

The diva cleared her throat too, trying to compose herself. "You're right, I promised I wouldn't be back late. Besides, I can already feel the stiffness in my body."

The ride back to the barn was silent, both girls stuck in the thoughts of the evening…


	16. Cosmic love

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee

A/N: I finished the Pezberry week sequel, I'll post it soon. Thank you for the reviews.

* * *

 **Chapter 16: Cosmic love**

A few days later, Rachel was working in Abigail's back-store, sorting some old boxes and cleaning the place. She had spent most of her morning thinking about their journey in the past. It had been almost 2 months since they arrived in 1880 and a lot of things had happened. There were still al lot of gray areas about Michelle and Santiago's story and she knew she would never discover everything, especially if Santana and her were altering the events by their actions. The fire would happen no matter what but some things could still change, it was after all why they were sent there in the first place, to change the couple's fate.

Speaking of Santana, her relationship with the girl was starting to get more and more awkward. Since the dinner, it was like they were tip-toeing around each other, afraid to do or say something wrong. Something had shifted between them and she couldn't figure out what it was. She just had this weird fluttering feeling when she was around the girl, which didn't make any sense because the only times she had felt this way before were when she had first started getting close to Finn and after that close to Jesse. But this was Santana for Barbra's sake! She couldn't possibly have a crush on Santana, that would be absurd. The girl had basically tortured her for years; just because she had seen a different side of her here – a sweet and caring one - didn't mean she wouldn't return to being the old Santana the moment they got back to their own time. If they wanted to survive here in the old west, they had to cling on to each other and that was probably the only reason Santana was being so nice, even though the Latina had assured her they were really friends, a part of her was still afraid it would change. And if these were the same kind of feelings she had experienced with the boys, then it would raise a lot of questions about herself she'd never expected to have. No matter what it was, she was not quite ready to face it and more than anything, she could never let Santana know.

Rachel shook her head to focus; she didn't have time for introspection right now. She started cleaning again, moving an old wooden box to the side to sweep behind it. She stepped forward when she heard the floor squeak. She frowned and looked closer. It seemed like one of the wooden panels was loose. She tapped her foot and it sounded hollow. She kneeled down and removed the piece. The diva raised her eyebrow when she saw a scramble piece of paper, the same type of paper that was in Michelle's journal. She unfolded it and all she could read on it was a date and in the middle of the page 'I think I'm in love…'

It was dated from a week before they travelled back in time. The diva looked inside the hole to see if there was something but she couldn't find anything else. Suddenly, she remembered reading something about Michelle having the impression that things had been moved around in her room. Maybe the girl was scared someone would find her journal and that was why she had hidden it in the barn. Since there was still a risk Santiago would find it, she had torn out the page and put it somewhere else… The girl was smart.

After reading Dorothy's book and gathering information from Michelle's journal, she could assume Michelle was already in love and in a secret relationship with Santiago just before they arrived in the past. But there was still no explanation as to how the fire started and why Santana and her had been cast to play this couple…Although it might explain why she was suddenly feeling this way about Santana, maybe some sort of cosmic hangover?

* * *

Santana was taking care of the horses at the stable when Santiago's mother approached her.

"Santo, is everything okay?"

The youngest Latina turned around and frowned, wondering why the woman was there. "Mami, what are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to check on you." Mrs Cruz said as she petted on of the horses. "Your father left for town so I thought I would enjoy a moment with my son."

"Okay…" The tan girl raised her eyebrow suspiciously before focusing back on her task.

Anita watched her in silence for a while before asking. "Did you give the ring to Michelle during dinner?"

"What? No!" The former cheerleader knew the woman was there for a reason and now she was sure it was about Michelle.

Mrs Cruz looked disappointed. "I thought you would make the best of your dinner…" She sighed. "Well, I'm sure I can find another excuse to invite her if you got scared. You have such a sweet heart, mijo…"

"No, no, no." The raven-haired girl stopped brushing her horse to focus on Anita. "Por favour, don't do anything anymore. It could get her in trouble."

"I can see you really care about her, I'm just trying to help." Santiago's mother answered.

"I don't need help, we're not. I mean…" Santana didn't even know what to say. It was like Mrs Cruz was on a mission and wouldn't let go. "We…"

"Nana always says the ring is kind of magic." The older Latina cut her off. "It's supposed to protect your union with your soulmate, somehow keeping your love alive through time. It's good luck for a young couple, it carries the experience of your elders. That's why it's really important to only pass it to your child when they meet the one."

"Why are you so sure Michelle is the one? You don't even know her. Besides we're just friends."

Anita smiled knowingly. "Trust me, mothers know these things. Just give her the ring, you won't regret it…"

"Why is it so important for you?" The tan girl couldn't understand why the woman wanted to help her so bad.

"Porque eres mi hijo, deseo que sea feliz." Mrs Cruz simply said. "I was blessed enough to find true love, I want the same for you."

Santana nodded, it was better to just go with it. Unwanted support was still better than unwanted hate. She stayed silent as she watched Anita make her way out. Before the woman left, she said. "I did."

"Qué?" Santiago's mother turned around and looked at her son.

"I gave her the ring." Santana sighed. "So please, stop meddling."

Anita grinned and nodded before leaving the barn.

* * *

Rachel and Santana were in their secret spot, talking about the ring and how it could be linked to the quote they read and them travelling back in time.

The diva was sitting on a trunk and staring at the inscription on the ring. "Our love will travel through time." She stayed silent for a while, mentally going over everything they knew so far. "Maybe it's linked to the tale and the curse."

"I thought the same thing but we didn't have the ring when we travelled here. We just read the quote and bam, we were in 1880." Santana pointed out.

"I think it's safe to assume Mrs Harper is the one who wrote the quote on the wall." The brunette said confidently. "The thing is, the author is still alive in our time, so there is no direct link to the ring."

"What?" The tan girl frowned. "How do you know?"

"I saw Kurt google Sorin Cerin's name and read some things." The petite girl explained with a shrug.

"Of course you did." The raven-haired girl rolled her eyes. "So what? You said Mrs Harper was related to Dorothy, right? If Michelle's friend wrote a book about us, I mean Santiago and Michelle, it could explain how the woman knows about them."

"Yes, but why would she chose this quote specifically?"

"I don't know but my first question is why us?" The former cheerleader asked, finally sitting down with the diva.

"Well if we are honest, we have things in common with them. It could explain why." Rachel offered.

Santana scoffed. "They're a couple from the 19th century and we are members of a glee club who used to hate each other. I don't see why we'd be the best candidates for this trip and why we'd magically end up here."

"I tend to have a practical mind." The Jewish girl stated. "I don't really believe in magic, but here we are, in 1880, our spirits if I can call it that possessing other people's bodies so I'm going to give magical theories a chance…"

The Latina sighed, trying to come up with some explanation. "Maybe it's more mystical than magical. I mean, it could be some kind of reincarnation."

"It's a possibility." The diva conceded. "But shouldn't they possess us in our time to find a happy ending instead of the other way around?"

"Not especially." The taller girl shook her head. "I mean, everything is linked. Santiago and Michelle, their families, Glesswood, Cole, Mary… It wouldn't be possible to recreate all that in our time."

The brunette nodded. "Michelle and Santiago were together before the fire. Do you think Anita gave Santiago the ring?"

"Well she was really insisting on the fact that I should give you the ring because you are my soulmate so I guess yeah…" The tan girl shrugged, unfazed by her statement.

"I…" Rachel blinked, troubled by the girl's words. She knew Santana didn't mean it that way but she could swear her heart had raced at the words as if the girl was talking about them being soul mates.

As soon as the raven-haired girl saw Rachel's face, she realised what she had just said and quickly try to correct herself. "Whatever, you know what I mean by you, I'm talking about Michelle."

The petite girl cleared her throat, trying to compose herself. "Right, of course…" She pursed her lips. "Perhaps Michelle was wearing the ring when she died and since it's supposed to be magical like Anita said, it might have protected their love and somehow their spirits. Then, in some weird and unexplainable turn of events, they chose us to help them have their happy ending."

"But again, why?" The former cheerleader insisted. "We couldn't stand each other and we definitely weren't in love so except for being in the saloon at that specific moment and reading the quote, there is no reason for us to be here."

"I don't know, Santana, I'm at the same point as you are." Rachel sighed in frustration. "But like I said, maybe it has something to do with our personalities because we have things in common and they thought we could help them."

"Yeah, it's certainly not because we're soulmates." Santana started laughing.

The diva frowned as she watched her friend for a moment. But when the girl didn't stop laughing, she somehow started to feel offended. "Glad you find the idea hilarious, Santana." She declared drily.

"Oh come on, Rach, don't tell me you don't find it funny!" The Latina said between laughter. "I mean you're straight and we bicker all the time, that would never work."

"It worked for Michelle and Santiago. And I'll have you know that my dads always taught me that love goes beyond gender and I should keep an open mind and an open heart."

The tan girl snorted, slowly calming down. "It still doesn't mean you'd eat pussy."

"Must you always be so crude? And so presumptuous? I'm sure many people would assume the same about you." The brunette snapped. Santana could be so immature and tactless sometimes and right now it was getting on her nerves.

The raven-haired girl glared at her. "I thought I was clear about…"

The Jewish girl cut her off. "Santana, that's really not the point!"

"What's the point then?" The taller girl asked sternly as she crossed her arms. "Because right now you sound like you're getting mad that I'm not proposing or something."

Rachel scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous."

"Oh my god!" The Latina looked at her in disbelief. "You're offended I'm not considering you as a potential date, you can't be serious!"

"No! I just don't think it's so hilarious to think I could be someone's soulmate." The brunette didn't know what upset her the most, that someone like Santana could never date someone like her or the fact that she might never find true love. And why did she care so much about what Santana thought anyway? Right now, she just wanted to storm out of the place and not talk to the girl for a while.

"What?" The tan girl frowned. "That's not what I said. I…"

The diva stood up and tossed her hair behind her shoulder. "It's late, I'm going home."

"Rachel, come on…"

Without sparing a glance at the girl, the petite girl walked toward the door. "Goodnight Santana." She had too much on her mind to deal with another fight. Hopefully it would get better tomorrow.

* * *

Late in the afternoon the next day, Mary showed up at the shop with a gift in hand. The girl must have waited for the place to be empty before coming in because there weren't any customers.

Rachel smiled, it was nice to see a friendly face today. "Good morning, Mary, what are you doing here? Do you need something?"

"Hello, Michelle. I have something for you." Dr Quinn set the present on the counter after checking around her to make sure no one was watching. "Santiago asked me to deliver it for you."

The diva raised her eyebrow questioningly. "What is it?"

The blonde shrugged. "I don't know, he just said it was for you."

The brunette quickly unwrapped the gift and saw a small wooden star with her initials engraved on it.

"'RB?'" Mary questioned as she looked at the star in the diva's hand. "What does that mean?"

"It's hum, a special code between us…" The Jewish girl lied. She couldn't really say it was because her real name was Rachel Berry.

Dr Quinn smiled before whispering. "Secret words between secret lovers, I love it."

The petite girl blushed despite herself before looking at the note that was with the gift. **_'I didn't mean to hurt your feelings or whatever but we're friends now, you need to chill a bit! Anyway, here's a little something for you. San._** '

It was Santana's way to say sorry even though deep down, Rachel knew she hadn't got mad for the reasons she stated. _'Today is definitely better than yesterday.'_ She thought as she looked fondly at the star.


	17. Eyes don't lie

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee

* * *

 **Chapter 17: Eyes don't lie**

Santana couldn't believe what was happening. Four days ago Anita had told her Santiago's grandmother was coming for a visit and here she was, in the kitchen, listening to Carmen talk about their family from back home.

It made her miss her abuela and her mom even more. She felt like they were in this place for years when in reality it was just a couple of months. She wanted to fix the situation and go back to her time with Rachel. Speaking of the diva, she hadn't been able to see the girl the past couple days because Abigail had a cold and she had to take care of her. That girl had a sweet heart and she was kinda maybe missing her.

The Latina discreetly made her exit, sighing heavily as she stood on the porch. She could use a drink and a good cigar right now. She sighed once again before starting to walk toward the one of the barns.

The raven-haired girl didn't even make 3 steps before she heard the front door open. She growled as she heard Carmen call her name. "Si, abuela?"

"Mi'jo, camina con tu abuela." Santiago's grandmother locked arms with her.

Santana sighed, so much for staying away from this family. "I don't really have time for a walk, abuela, I mean I have work to do."

"Santiago, siempre hay tiempo para la familia." Carmen gently patted Santana's arm.

"Fine." The youngest Latina rolled her eyes as she started walking. "You can come with me to the stable and watch me feed the horses if you want."

Carmen smiled before looking at her grandson. "Estas flaco mijo, estas comiendo bien?" She pinched the girl's cheek.

The raven-haired girl looked at herself, Anita's cooking was pretty good and even if she'd kill for a burger, she was eating better than most people in this town. "Estoy comiendo major que los credos."

Both women walked in silence until they reached the barn. "Santiago, hablame de Michelle, tu mama me dijo que estas enamorado."

"What?" The former cheerleader let go of the woman's arm and stepped on the side. "No, Rach… Michelle no es mi novia." The conversation was taking a turn she didn't like at all. It was already annoying to hear Anita talk about how she should 'make a move' on Michelle but if she had to listen to 'her grandma' do the same, she was going to lose it. It was like being in a bad telenovela.

Santiago's grandma shook her head as she sat on a bail of hay. "No le mientas a tu abuela, tu cara lo dice todo."

Santana suddenly felt all flustered. How could Carmen see these things written all over her face if she wasn't really Santiago and Michelle was somehow Rachel for her. She scoffed soundly, as if she had feelings for Rachel. She was short and annoying and loud and, yeah, maybe she had seen another side of her here and had been a little reluctant to leave the barn when she was getting changed but that was just a healthy curiosity, it didn't mean anything more than that, right? And looking forward to seeing her and thinking about her, missing her when she wasn't here was just because she was lonely here, right? The dreams didn't mean anything, either. She was a teenager, after all, and sadly Rachel was the hottest girl in this hick town. Well, after Mary. Maybe. No, not maybe, it was sure. Like she said, she didn't have any feelings for Rachel, she was just her cute midget friend, yes, no, not cute, just her friend. "I have no idea what you're talking about." She quickly started feeding the horses to keep herself busy. Better that than thinking about crazy things.

"Santiago, me hubiese gustado que no fuera une gringa pero en el corazón no se manda. Ella te ama?" Carmen said, completely ignoring her grandson's discomfort.

The younger Latina snorted at Carmen calling Rachel a 'gringa' but despite being old, the woman seemed pretty open minded about biracial couples. She sounded more accepting than her own grandmother and it was something because almost a century separated them. Still, she just wanted Carmen to let it go about all this love crap. Since Santiago's grandma arrived, she couldn't help but have a weird vibe from the woman. Maybe she was hooked on drinking, that would explain a lot of things. "Abuela, por favor, deja el tema."

The grandmother stood up, approached her and squeezed her arm. "Don't worry, mijo, love will always find a way and if you can't have your happy ending in this life, you'll get another chance someday, trust me."

The raven-haired girl locked eyes with Carmen. The woman had a weird spark in her eyes, like she knew more to the story. It was definitely creepy. She cleared her throat. "You should go back to the house; I'll join you when I'm done here."

"You're stubborn but you'll see…" Carmen kissed her cheek before leaving the barn.

Santana sighed for the hundredth time today, she really didn't need a crazy grandmother on top of everything…

* * *

The next morning, Rachel was working at the shop as always. Since the place was empty, she was admiring the ring Santana had given her. She still wasn't sure how they ended up in this situation. It was like she was missing something and without this piece of the puzzle, she wouldn't be able to see the full picture. She kept wondering what was Mrs Harper's role in all this? Did she know about the ring? There was nothing in Dorothy's book about it but maybe the girl added details later on. She sighed in defeat; she was starting to think they would never have all the answers.

The diva was so caught up in her thoughts that she barely heard someone entering the store. She hastily hid the ring under her clothes and looked up to who was there. To her surprise, it was a woman who looked almost exactly like Mrs Cruz so it was safe to assume Santiago's grandmother was standing in front of her. She knew the woman was in town because last night, for the first time since they arrived, Santana had launched herself in a long rant and it was all about Santiago's grandmother. Somehow, she was glad the woman had waited for the shop to be empty before coming in because she wasn't sure how she would have explained that to Abigail. "Mrs Rivera, how can I help you?"

Carmen raised her eyebrow before smiling. "I could ask you how you know my name but since I know you are close to my grandson, it would be pointless. However, I'd like to see the ring you're wearing."

The brunette' eyes went wide at the request. She thought she had hid it fast enough so no one would see it but she guessed not. "I beg you pardon?"

The old woman didn't bother answering and leaned over the counter to pull up the chain around Rachel's neck. "This."

"I… I can explain." The petite girl stuttered.

Mrs Rivera held her hand up to stop the girl's words. "No need, dear. It is where it's supposed to be. I just wanted to make sure you had it." She smiled at the sight of the piece of jewellery. "It won't come as a surprise if I tell you you should wear it on your finger."

"I… I can't. People would talk." The Jewish girl wasn't sure what was happening and why the woman was there but she felt really intimidated by her. It was like she had this aura that forced respect, it was weird to explain.

Mrs Rivera touched the ring and as she did, Rachel felt electricity go through her body. "Oh mija, people always talk and disapprove, you have to learn how to ignore them."

"It could put us in danger." Was the only thing the diva could say. She should be denying any relationship with Santana, no she meant Santiago, yes, Santiago, deny any attachment, but instead here she was, standing dumbly in front of this woman who seemed to be able to read her like an open book.

"Don't worry," Carmen caressed the ring one last time before letting it go. "I came here to make sure everything will work out in the end…"

"I'm sorry?" Rachel was more than confused. What was coming out of the woman's mouth didn't make any sense. She really needed to talk to Santana about it.

"Nothing. I have my answers; your eyes say it all." Mrs Rivera tilted her head to the side before she reached out and grabbed some of the brunette's hair.

"Ouch!" The petite girl whined, bringing her hand to her hair. "Why did you do that?" It might be Michelle's dirty blonde hair but she still felt it like it was hers.

"Sorry dear, I thought you had something in your hair." The old woman said innocently, discreetly putting the hair in her purse.

Rachel frowned, a small glare in her eyes. "If you'll excuse me, I have work to do." She really wanted the woman to leave. She wasn't feeling comfortable around the woman; it was something in her eyes

Carmen nodded. "Of course, I'm leaving." She took a few steps toward the door and stopped, turning around to look at Rachel. "Oh and Ms Bercoran, for what it worth, I think you are the perfect match for my Santiago." She smiled, a knowing look on her face before leaving the shop.

The brunette blinked a few times as she watched the woman leave. "What just happened?"

* * *

Santiago's grandmother had been there for 3 days now and Santana really needed a break. She could feel the woman's eyes on her all the time and she couldn't take it anymore. She waited until everyone was busy to discreetly leave the ranch.

Since it was still early, the Latina knew she couldn't hang out with Rachel or Mary so she decided to go to the saloon. A drink never hurt…

The saloon was mostly empty so Santana could relax and sip her drink in peace. At least until Cole showed up and walked straight to her. She sighed. _'Here goes drama again, if I didn't know better, I'd think we're in glee club.'_

"What are you doing here?" The tall man asked as a stand in front of her.

"Tell me, on top of being dumb, rude and racist, are you blind too? Because I thought it was pretty obvious, I'm drinking." The Latina smirked, lazily bringing her drink to her lips and taking a sip

"You think you're smart?" The boy glared at her.

The raven-haired girl chuckled. "I don't think, I know." She knew she should stay out of trouble and go away but she had never been on to stand down from a fight.

"Since we are in public, I'll be gracious and give you a chance to leave."

"Why would I leave? If you have a problem, maybe you should leave." The tan girl grabbed her glass, ready to drink but Cole slapped her hand, the glass flying out of her hand and shattering on the floor. She didn't get the time to react that Cole grabbed her by the vest, forcing her to stand.

"I told you to leave, now I'm gonna have to make you!" Cole exclaimed threateningly.

"As if." Santana pushed him hard enough for him to stumble backward. "What are you gonna do now, pendejo?"

The boy surged forwards, ready to punch her but the Latina dodged it. She turned around and kicked him in the ass, sending him crashing against the nearest table. She smirked proudly before turning around and moving toward the exit. She wasn't expecting Josh to stand right in front of her and punch her square on the face. She lost balance and fell against the piano, interrupting the piano man in the middle of his melody. Santana shook her head, trying to get rid of her dizziness. She unsuccessfully tried to stand up as she watched almost helplessly as Cole grabbed a beer bottle, smashed it against the counter and made his way toward her with the sharp broken glass. She whimpered despite herself, trying to stand again. She leaned against the wall, her bloody hand leaving a mark on it and finally stood on her two feet.

Santana held her breath, she knew this was a bad idea. She braced herself for what was coming when out of nowhere, Carmen stepped in front. She could hear the owner of the saloon in the background, telling her she wasn't allowed to be here but she was too confused by the situation to really know what was happening. She blinked a few times, trying to focus on the situation.

Cole stood in front of the woman, his confusion slowly turning into anger. "You should leave, grandma. It's none of your business!"

"What are you going to do young man, hit an old woman?" Mrs Rivera asked calmly. The tall boy gritted his teeth, clearly pondering his next actions.

Time seemed to stop as the two of them launched themselves into a staring contest.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rachel was delivering a basket of fruit to Mr Hoover's shop. The man chit chatted with her for a few minutes until she excused herself to go back to work. She was making her way back to the shop when she heard two young men mention a fight between Santiago and Cole in the saloon and how they needed to go see it. Without thinking twice, the diva ran inside the saloon, not caring if she wasn't allowed to be there.

Just as expected, Cole was there, standing in front of Santiago's grandmother – which wasn't expected at all – and Santana was leaning against the wall, seemingly in pain. The diva marched toward the tall man and shouted. "Cole, stop it! What are you doing?"

Cole turned around and looked at his ex girlfriend in surprise. "You shouldn't be here, Michelle. It's not your place."

The brunette surprised everyone by slapping the man. "I'm more than tired of you telling me what I can or can not do!"

The tall man growled, raising his hand to slap the girl when Santana stepped forward, grabbing his wrist just before he could hit Rachel. They stared angrily at each other until the owner of the saloon shouted at them to get out.

Rachel ignored Cole and moved next to Santana, sliding her arm behind the girl's back to help her walk as the Latina leaned against her.

Carmen took advantage of the confusion to take out a piece of hair from Michelle and put it on the wall where Santiago's blood stain was, mumbling something incomprehensible.

Despite the situation, Rachel and Santana noticed the scene and looked at her questioningly.

Mrs Rivera smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, nothing will happen to you here again."

She stepped next to her grandson and the three women made their way out of the saloon.

* * *

At night, Rachel and Santana were talking in their secret spot. Despite her few bruises and cuts, the Latina had insisted they should meet to talk about the situation.

The first thing Rachel did when Santana joined her was to lecture her about what happened in the saloon and how she should stop being so reckless because it could get her killed. After some bickering, they moved on to their main topic.

"I keep thinking about what Carmen did. Why did she touch this wall and mumble things in the middle of the cacophony?" Rachel crinkled her nose in confusion.

"I know!" Santana shook her head. "Shit, the woman is crazy."

"But somehow it shone a new light on our situation. We were so focused on the quote that we put aside the saloon. What if from the start it was about the building?" The diva had spent her day trying to figure out how to link everything.

The Latina frowned. "What do you mean?"

"It's the only construction that survived the fire and since I wasn't allowed to go there, I couldn't see how it was linked to Michelle. But this afternoon, things changed." Before leaving, the brunette had glanced around the place and something clicked. "I saw the inside of the saloon for the first time and the piano was in the exact same place it is in the future."

"And that's where I landed when that piece of shit punched me…" Memories of the event popped in Santana's head. "That's also where Carmen did her weird thing with the wall."

"Exactly!" The petite girl exclaimed. "I know it sounds crazy but maybe Carmen protected the saloon and by some coincidence, Mrs Harpers wrote the quote to honor the couple on the same wall Santiago's grandma cast a spell on, making it magic in the process. I mean, it did sound a bit like an incantation."

"But I thought you didn't believe in magic?" The raven-haired girl pointed out.

The Jewish girl shrugged. "Do you have a better theory?" She knew it was far-fetched and before their little journey in the past she would have advised anyone who came up with this kind of theory to check for a spot in the nearest mad house but now, it was the only explanation she could come up with.

"Not really…" The tan girl sighed, running her hand through her hair. "It kinda makes sense. I mean in movies, it's often the old woman who does magical shit. Plus, last time she told me love will find a way and if you don't get your happy ending here, you'll get it in another life or some crap like that..."

"Carmen said something similar when she visited me at the shop." The diva added.

Santana stayed silent for a while, thinking about the situation. "Let's say we're right, let's say magic is real and Carmen is some kind of witch or whatever you want to call her. If she cast a spell on the saloon to protect Santiago and by extension Michelle, it would explain why they didn't die in the fire and why the building didn't collapse despite being surrounding by flame." She paused. "What we thought about the ring makes even more sense now too."

"You're right." The brunette nodded, biting her lips as she mused.

"I watched Charmed and Buffy enough to guess it opened some kind of portal to the past so we can come here and save them or whatever. But, fuck, it still doesn't answer why us? Who thought you and me should travel back in time together to finish some spirits' unfinished business?" The raven-haired girl questioned almost desperate for an answer.

"I'm starting to doubt we'll ever have the answer to that question." Rachel sighed tiredly as she stared at the ring around her neck. She couldn't see why it would be about love; Sure things were a bit awkward sometimes, like how her heart skipped a beat when Santana said something sweet or how she could hear Santana's breath hitch when she was stepping closer or touching her but it had nothing to do with love, they just cared about each other, after all, Santana and her were friends, that was right, just two slightly confused girls who were friends… Or maybe she was the only one confused and she was imagining things…

"As long as we can go home soon, it's fine by me." Santana concluded, squeezing Rachel's shoulder in some kind of support. "It's okay, we'll find a way…"

"I hope so…" The petite girl whispered, resting her hand on Santana's.


	18. Hope

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee

A/N The next chapter will be the last...

* * *

 **Chapter 18: Hope**

Rachel was working alone at the store. Since the place was empty, she took advantage of the calm to stare at the ring Santana had given her. She couldn't help it lately; she was always playing with it, touching it or even at night, when no one could see, wearing it.

When she wasn't thinking about Michelle and Santiago, she was thinking about how she wished she could find a love as strong as theirs; a love that would travel through time and never die. She wanted someone who would still make her heart jump ten years later. A girl could dream, right?

The diva was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't hear anyone come in.

"Michelle?" A man's voice called.

The brunette jumped in surprised and hastily hid the ring underneath her clothes. She looked around and saw Cole standing in front of her. Great… "Cole." She frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"What was that?" The man inquired coldly.

"What was what?" The petite girl asked innocently. She needed to play it cool, of all the people who could find out about the ring, it had to be him. This was dangerous territory.

"Don't play stupid with me." Cole said angrily.

Rachel looked around, silently hoping someone would come in and save her from the situation but it didn't look like anyone would enter the store soon. "Please, Cole, calm down. I'm afraid I don't understand what you are talking about."

"Oh but I'm sure you do." The man glared at her before shaking his head. "I warned you, Michelle, you should have listened." He quickly stormed out of the store.

"What just happened?" The Jewish girl asked herself out loud. She really needed to talk to Santana, she had a bad feeling about what was coming.

* * *

That night, Rachel went to the barn with a sick feeling in her stomach. She could feel a change in the air and all she wanted was to be close to Santana. The girl was in such a hurry to get to the barn that she had failed to notice the person following her since she had left her house.

After 20 minutes of waiting and imagining the worst, Santana finally joined her. "Where the heck were you?! I was worried about you!" The diva asked as soon as Santana closed the door.

Santana's smile fell. "Hum, hello, nice to see you too."

"I asked you a question, Santana." The diva crossed her arms defiantly.

"Jeez, are you my mother?" The Latina rolled her eyes. "I was with Mary, she needed something and when I noticed the time, I rushed here. What's up with you?"

"Well if you weren't so busy with Mary, you would have known already." The brunette snapped. She knew the girl was spending more time with Mary the past few days but whatever they were doing wasn't an excuse to be so late.

The raven-haired girl frowned. "What?"

"What part of what I said wasn't clear, Santana?" The petite girl glared. "I know I'm just your friend but I thought these meetings were important for you too."

"I'm confused. Where is this coming from?" The tan girl slowly approached her friend.

"What was so important that it couldn't wait until tomorrow? You know how tense things are lately, your little private time with Mary should come after…" Rachel could feel her blood start to boil. She was waiting here, worrying that something had happened to Santana while she was just having fun with her friend and it made her angry and jealous at the same time.

Santana crossed her arms and scowled. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what I said. Your girl on girl action shouldn't be a priority." The diva knew she was being petty but she couldn't help it.

"What the hell are you talking about?" The Latina questioned annoyed. "There is nothing going on with Mary, what the fuck is wrong with you? And of course I care about these meetings, I rushed like a crazy woman to get here and see you."

"I don't know, Santana, maybe she should be the one wearing the ring you didn't want me to give you back." The brunette quickly removed the ring and put it in Santana's hand.

"You're fucking annoying." Without thinking, the tan girl grabbed Rachel's hand and slid the ring back on her finger. "If you could pull your head out of your ass for two seconds, you would see Mary and I are just friends and the reason why I'm late is because I was helping her with a patient of hers, a dude Cole punched because he was pissed at something. I needed to ask him some questions."

Rachel's heart skipped a beat at the gesture and suddenly it hit her. The jealousy, the need to see Santana and be close to her, the affectionate gestures, everything made sense now. Along the way she had developed a crush on Santana but had refused to acknowledge it. "I… What…"

"Wait a minute…" The raven-haired girl paused to look at her. "Are you jealous? Is it what this is all about? It's not about me being late but about me hanging out with her."

"I, no!" The petite girl could barely focus on the conversation anymore, too overwhelmed by her revelation. She had even forgotten what she wanted to say to the Latina before she arrived, it said something.

"Bullshit!" Santana scoffed. "Seriously, are you that insecure that you feel threatened by the only other friend I have here?"

"It's not about friendship." Rachel insisted.

"Then what?" The taller girl snapped, clearly irritated.

The diva tried to find something to say but only came up with "I just don't want you to be hurt."

"What are you talking about?" The Latina raised her hands up in frustration.

"I saw you two hug and be really close, it could end up badly…" The brunette trailed off. The conversation was taking a turn she wasn't ready for.

"So you came up with the same conclusion as all the other pricks in this town?" The tan girl replied with hurt in her voice.

"That's not fair!" The petite girl said offended. She had nothing in common with the people of this town.

"And you think it's fair of you to be such a bitch right now, for no reason?!" The raven-haired girl argued.

"There is a reason!" Rachel cried as tears ran down her cheeks.

"Then fucking tell me why!"

"Because I realised I want to be the one you do that with." The Jewish girl whispered

Santana raised her eyebrow in confusion. "Do what?"

"Being coupley..." The diva sniffled.

"You…" The Latina's breath hitched.

"Yeah, I know, I'm pathetic…" The brunette shook her head, trying desperately to compose herself. "Why would you want something more than friendship with me, right?"

"I …" The tan girl was at a loss for words, opening and closing her mouth as she tried to speak.

"It's okay, Santana," The petite girl assured, wiping her tears away. "You don't have to say anything. Just forget I said anything. I'm just gonna go home." She stepped away, trying to hold back her sob but Santana stopped her, reaching for her arm and pulling her towards herself. Her breath hitched at being this close to the girl. She stared at her lips and before she could say anything, Santana leaned forward and kissed her. It felt amazing, the kiss was hesitant but tender.

"Maybe you're not the only who wants more." Santana breathed out when she pulled away.

"What?" Rachel was out of breath and dizzy.

"Maybe I needed to hear you say it to realise what I was feeling too." The raven-haired girl confessed.

"You mean…"

Suddenly, Cole barged into the barn. "I knew it! I knew you two were together." Without warning, he punched Santana square in the jaw.

Santana fell on the ground too surprised to react. Rachel quickly stepped in front of her. "Stop it, Cole."

The tall man pushed her and kicked the Latina. "I'm going to kill you, you hear me?" He screamed.

The diva pushed him again. "Leave us alone!" She yelled. When the man didn't stop kicking Santana, she grabbed a piece of wood and hit him with it.

The man stopped and looked at the girl. "You disgust me." He slapped her then paused as he heard voices outside. He tried to catch his breath before saying. "You better enjoy him because I'm going to come back with some friends and finish what I started." He spat on Santana before storming out.

* * *

Once Rachel was sure Cole had left, she kneeled down next to Santana. "Oh my god, are you okay?" She brushed some hair away from the girl's face and saw blood on her lips.

"No…" Santana said, her voice barely above a whisper.

The diva kissed the girl's forehead. "We need to leave before he comes back. Can you stand?"

"To go where?" The Latina asked in obvious pain as she sat up. "We're fucked…"

"No, don't say that, it's not too late." The brunette helped Santana stand up.

The tan girl hissed in pain and leaned on Rachel to stay upright. "There is no safe place, Rachel, we're dead. At least, I am."

"Santana…" The petite girl cupped the girl's cheek and carefully wiped the blood away from her lips. "Wait… Safe place, the saloon! We have to go there!" She said suddenly.

The tan girl's eyes fluttered at the touch. "Weren't we supposed to avoid the place because of the fire?"

"Carmen protected it," Rachel pointed out. "Even if the fire starts, we'll be safe."

"Then what?" The raven-haired girl sighed.

"Then we'll find a way to leave and survive the night so we can go back to our time."

"That's your plan?" Santana questioned. "Hide and hope we can survive long enough to go back to the future?"

The Jewish girl nodded. "Do you have a better idea?"

"No, not really…"

"Then let's go." Rachel stated. "You can lean on me if you need to."

Santana smiled slightly. "Yeah…"

* * *

It took the girls a long time to get downtown. They had tried to stay hidden and out of the road as much as possible to avoid running into Cole and his friends. Once in town, Rachel and Santana snuck inside the saloon thanks to the back door being left open.

They were rushing toward a room upstairs when they bumped into John, Cole's friend who was in love with poor Mary. The man was doing up his zipper and belt as a girl walked past them with a smile.

John looked confused until he realised what was happening. "What are you doing here?"

"John, please, just leave and don't say a word." Rachel tried, hoping the man wouldn't make a scene.

"You have no business being here. I…"

Santana grabbed her gun and aimed at him before he could finish. "You nothing."

The diva looked at her friend a bit frightened. "San?"

"Take his gun." The Latina ordered.

"What?" The brunette asked confused.

"Take his gun." The tan girl repeated, not tearing her eyes away from him. The man tried to reach for it but she swiftly approached him and put the gun against his temple. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." She took his gun and passed it to Rachel before putting her hand around his throat. "Here's what you're gonna do. You're going to leave this place and you're not gonna say shit to anyone, got it? Or I'll find you and I'll shoot you in the nuts."

"I…You…I…" The boy stuttered.

Santana rolled her eyes. "That's what I thought. You play it tough with your friends around but you ain't shit. Now leave before I change my mind and shoot you right now." John looked at her wide eyed before running away. The Latina glanced at Rachel to make sure she was okay before moving down the hallway, to find a room to hide.

The petite girl took the gun. "But…"

"Don't even start. Shut up and followed me…"

Rachel seemed to know better than argue on this one and followed the girl silently.

* * *

Rachel and Santana had been in the room for almost an hour and so far no one had knocked on the door and asked them to leave. Santana knew it was too good to be true. Even if John hadn't warned the owner of the saloon, she was sure the man had run to Cole to tell him what happened.

"What are we going to do now?" Rachel asked, finally breaking the silence.

Santana turned her gaze from the street to look at her friend. "Wait and see." She shrugged.

"That's it?" The diva frowned. "You don't think John is going to come back with Cole and the gang."

"Oh he will…" The tan girl assured her.

"So what are we going to do once they're here?" The brunette needed to know the plan, she wasn't the type of person who could just "wing it" when she was in this type of situation. She was scared for her life and Santana's and coming up with a plan was the only thing that might help her calm down a bit.

"Save enough time to make an exit. The owner won't let them barge in with guns so they can kill us. Murder in one of his rooms is a bad publicity, even if it's a Mexican…"

Rachel didn't get the time to answer before Santana spotted Cole and his friends approaching of the saloon.

"Santiago, I know you're here. Come out and Michelle won't be hurt." Cole shouted from outside.

Santana laughed despite herself. The diva stared at her. "What's so funny?"

"The coming out part." The Latina explained. "If he knew my Michelle was a little gay, he'd lose it." She chuckled.

"This is really not the time for jokes, Santana." Despite liking how Santana called her 'my Michelle', they needed to focus on the situation at hand. "And we'll have to talk about what happened later."

"Yeah, it's definitely not the time for that topic." The taller girl paused before adding. "I liked it though." She said before looking through the window again.

Rachel smiled at the comment before looking outside. There were almost a dozen men outside and they didn't look like they were going anywhere. "Do you want me to try and talk to him?"

The raven-haired girl shrugged. "The floor is yours."

The brunette cleared her throat before shouting. "Cole, it's Michelle. Please, violence is not the solution. Take your friends and go before anyone gets hurt."

"It's not too late, Michelle. We don't have anything against you, just come out and you won't get hurt. Come on, think about your future, Santiago is not worth it." The man shouted back, causing another snort of laughter from Santana.

"We didn't do anything wrong!" The petite girl yelled defensively.

"I warned you, Michelle. You have to follow the rules." Cole reminded her.

"You're not the law, Cole! Please, leave us alone." The brunette tried again.

"Not going to happen."

"We're not going anywhere." Santana sighed. "We need to wait and see if they get tired of standing there like morons."

"It doesn't look like they're leaving anytime soon." Rachel stated wearily.

"Well if it's any consolation, if Carmen really did cast a spell, we're safe as long as we stay here."

"We can't stay here forever." The diva pointed out.

The Latina sighed again. "I know..."

* * *

An hour later, only two men had left. It was clear the rest of them were ready for a fight and wouldn't leave. The situation was clearly a dead end and the men were starting to get restless.

"I should go out and keep them busy while you leave through the back door." Rachel offered.

Santana looked at her friend. "Who said he's not gonna hurt you as soon as you step outside?"

"I don't know but it's worth a shot." The diva said, trying to convince herself. "It's a risk I'm willing to take."

The Latina shook her head. "Well I'm not, so find something else. Besides, they might be waiting for us there."

"Santana…"

"We're stronger together." The tan girl growled. "End of discussion."

"I would hardly call that a discussion." The brunette muttered.

"Seriously?"

The petite girl glared annoyed. "We're gonna have to agree on a plan at some point."

"I know but…" Santana was interrupted by a commotion outside. "What the fuck?"

Both girls moved closer to the window and saw John, Cole and Andrew argue. John was pretty agitated and had a torch in hand.

"Oh my god, the fire…" Rachel breathed out.

"That's how it started." Santana declared. "Those pricks got tired of waiting so they set the building on fire so we would come out…"

After that, things went downhill fast and the girls could only watch as John threw his torch through the window and some of his friends followed suit. They saw people running in every direction as the gang watched the flames slowly consume the building.

"We need to get out now!" The diva panicked.

"Okay, let's check the other rooms to see if we can leave by a window." The raven-haired girl ordered.

"You couldn't have come up with that sooner?" The brunette said incredulously.

"Well excuse me for not knowing the fire would be today of all days." Santana dragged Rachel toward the door. As soon as they stepped out of the room, they could feel the heat of the flames coming from downstairs. "We need to hurry!"

* * *

They searched a few rooms, getting more and more frantic after realising there was no way out. "Oh my god, we're going to die here." Rachel cried.

"Not helping!" Santana exclaimed as they reached another room. Thankfully, this one had a window looking out on the building next door. "We can jump from here."

"What? Are you crazy?" The diva exclaimed. "That could be deadly!"

"Do you have a better idea? Because right now it's either that or burn to death." The Latina pressed.

"But we're supposed to be safe here!"

"Yes, well I don't see the wicked witch of the east fly to our rescue right now," Santana said sarcastically. "So, we can't really wait and see."

"She was crushed by a house, Santana, it would be Glinda, the good witch of the North that came to our rescue, or if you insist the wicked witch of the…"

"Really not the issue here, Rachel, you need to jump!" Santana pressed.

Rachel leaned closer to the window and saw the distance between the two buildings. "I… I can't… It's…"

"Rachel, we don't have a choice." Santana insisted. Suddenly, they heard a crashing noise. Santana looked outside and saw the building on the left was on fire too. "I'll go first, okay? And I'll catch you from there."

"But…"

"Do you trust me?" The tan girl asked.

"Yes." The petite girl said without hesitation.

"Then we can do this." The girls locked eyes for a moment, as if they were both trying to reassure each other. Santana nodded before carefully stepping over the window. She took a deep breath, holding on the edge before jumping. She crashed on the roof, barely making it. She hissed in pain and pulled herself forward. She stood up slowly and motioned for Rachel to follow suit.

The brunette took a deep breath before shakily stepping over the window. She wasn't a fan of heights but she knew she couldn't stay inside the saloon. She took another deep breath before leaping forward, hoping Santana would catch her.

Once they were both safe on the roof, they took a few seconds to look around them. The town was on fire, some people were running away, other were desperately trying to stop the flames with buckets of water. The weirdest part of all was that the fire inside the saloon seemed to die whereas the flames were raging everywhere else.

Rachel and Santana climbed off the roof and hand in hand, started to look for a place to hide.


	19. For them, for us

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee

A/N: Here's the last chapter. I hope you liked this story.

 **Like I said in one of my previous chapters, I'm not sure I can write Pezberry anymore, at least for now. Some changes in my life make it hard for me to write but these two ladies will always have a special place in my heart. Hopefully, my muse will find a way back to me soon… Thank you for the support.**

* * *

 **Chapter 19: For them, for us**

It was after dawn when Rachel and Santana decided to come out of their hiding place. They had find refuge on top of the water tower at the end of the street, watching people leave town one after the other as they gave up on the idea of saving what was left of their buildings.

"I think we're safe." Rachel stated as she scanned the empty street, seeing the smoke and dying flames coming from the buildings.

"Yeah, I'm not saying that until we're back to our time but at least we survived the fire…" She started walking toward the saloon, quickly followed by Rachel who grabbed her hand. It wasn't unpleasant at all.

The diva frowned. "The fire… Why are we still here if we survived?"

The Latina shrugged and stopped in front of the saloon. "I don't know. Maybe it's not over yet…"

"You're right about that, Mexican." They heard behind them.

Rachel and Santana turned around and came face to face with Cole who had a gun in his hand. "Oh for fuck's sake…" Santana exclaimed. "What do you want?"

Cole aimed at Santana, rage written all over his face. "I can't seem to get rid of you." He growled between gritted teeth. "You were supposed to die and Michelle was supposed to be mine but here you are, hand in hand, right in front of me, taunting me with your love."

"Cole, please." The brunette's voice trembled with fear. "Didn't people suffer enough tonight? The town is a pile of smoldering ashes, people lost everything and…"

"And what about my suffering?" The man roared, still aiming at Santana.

Rachel put her hands up in surrender and tried to approach him, despite the Latina signalling her not to. "I am sorry you're hurting, Cole, I really am. But love is not something you can force, as much you want it. You can't destroy everything because you can't have me…"

"But you are mine Michelle! Not his. Mine." Cole screamed, slowly pulling the hammer of his revolver. "I can't bear the idea of not having you. And if I can't have you, no one will." It was the last thing the man said before pulling the trigger. Santana had enough time to push Rachel out of the way before getting hit right in the chest.

"Santana!" Rachel screamed as the girl fell on the ground. She rushed to her side, completely ignoring Cole aiming at her. She kneeled down and called Santana's name a few times but the girl didn't answer. She rested her head on the girl's stomach and started sobbing. "You can't leave me, please don't leave me, I need you…"

"Michelle, leave him to die!" The crazy man ordered. "You're mine!"

Rachel stood up with fury in her eyes. "I'm not a thing, I'm a person and I can't be owned and certainly not by you!" She roared, tears streaming down her face. "Even if you were the last man on earth, I wouldn't want to be with you Cole and you just shot the only person I could see myself with." She moved closer to him and stopped when the barrel of the gun touched her chest. "We failed. I couldn't save her, it's over. We'll never go back to our time so might as well kill me because I refuse to live this kind of life, especially when people like you get to live."

"Rach…" Santana called weakly.

The diva quickly turned around, looking wide eyed at Santana's body on the ground. She kneeled down next to her and held her tightly in her arms as she cried. It was now that she realised it was more than a crush she had on the girl. "You can't die okay, because I think I… I'm falling in love with you, and… it's not okay to leave me now, because I want to do a lot of things with you and I…"

"Jeez Berry," The Latina coughed. "Don't be so dramatic, I saved your life, don't make me regret it."

"But how? How are you still alive?" The brunette looked at the girl's body, noticing the hole in the clothes but the lack of blood.

"My phone stopped the bullet." The tan girl explained, slowly grabbing the device. They could see the bullet stuck inside the phone. "Gonna have to buy a new one now, papi's gonna be pissed."

"Oh thank god…" The petite girl sighed in relief. She glanced at Cole who seemed frozen to the spot.

Santana coughed again as her ribs hurt. "I think I figured out why…"

Rachel looked at her confused. "Figured out what, sweetie?"

"Why we were cast in these roles…"

"Why?" The petite girl brushed some of Santana's hair to the side.

The raven-haired girl swallowed loudly. "Because of love…"

"Love?" The diva questioned surprised. She was starting to wonder if the girl had a concussion at this point or maybe she was the one with brain damage because she was sure she had heard Santana say something about love.

"Yes, maybe we were supposed to be together all along and have our happy ending too. We just needed a little help to figure it out." The taller girl hissed in pain. "God I've spent too much time with you, I'm starting to sound cheesy." She sighed. "It's gross, please say something annoying."

Rachel laughed tearfully before smiling. "Too late, I heard everything."

"Okay, help me stand; we still have this douche bag to take care of." Santana painfully stood up before looking at Cole. "You can't kill us, we survived the fire, and I survived this. Just give up, dude."

Cole looked at her as if he had just seen a ghost. "But how? It's impossible, you should be dead."

"Love always finds a way." The brunette declared.

"What?"

"Forget it. You don't know what love is, you wouldn't understand." Rachel said tiredly. "Please Cole, this is over, just leave now."

"But, I don't understand." Cole stared dumbfounded at them.

Santana rolled her eyes, quickly grabbing her gun and aiming at him. "Here's something simple dumbass, if you don't want me to kill you, just leave and never come back again. Clear enough?"

"This is nonsense. Michelle, this is not a life. What are you going to do? Leave with him and start a family? Be serious, no one will accept it." The man declared angrily. "If you come with me, I promise I'll treat you right, I can change for you."

The Jewish girl scoffed. "And you expect me to believe you? You're not the one I want to be with."

"But Michelle…" Cole begged.

"You really need to learn the meaning of no." Rachel grabbed John's gun she had kept strapped on her belt behind her back. "And since you only understand threats." She aimed at him just like Santana had taught her to. "For the last time, just go away." She wasn't planning on using the weapon at all, she was just trying to be intimidating.

Santana looked at her, half worried half impressed. "You heard the little lady, now beat it."

The man seemed to hesitate, pondering his choice which annoyed the Latina. "Dios mio, you're dense." Without warning, she aimed next to his foot and shot, surprising him. "Next time I won't miss, leave!"

"I'm leaving but be aware the others won't stop chasing you." Cole glared at the Latina before sadly looking at Michelle.

"We'll be far away by then." The diva answered. Once he was gone, she turned toward Santana. "We did it, we survived!" She smiled.

The Latina chuckled. "Yes we did."

"What happens now?" The brunette asked. "Are we supposed to read another quote?"

"For the quote I don't know, but right now, there's one thing I want to do." Santana stated.

"Wha…" Rachel didn't get the time to finish when she felt Santana's soft lips on hers. She smiled before kissing her back, more exploring and passionate than the first time.

It was in that moment that the ground started to shake. They closed their eyes and held each other as everything became blurry and swirled around them. When they opened their eyes again, they were in the corner of the saloon again, but this time it looked different.

* * *

"Why the hell are you hugging Berry?" Quinn's voice snapped them out of their daze.

"Where were you, we've been looking for you for the past hour?" Kurt asked.

"Oh my god, we're back!" Rachel exclaimed happily, clapping her hands. "And people can see us as we really are."

Santana stepped away, not making eye contact with Rachel. "We're back." She ran her hand through her hair before sighing in relief. She wasn't a dude anymore and she was back to 'civilisation', in her regular clothes, it felt so good.

"What happened here?" Kurt questioned suspiciously.

The Latina looked at Quinn and Kurt before saying. "None of your business right now."

When Rachel heard the Latina's comment, her heart sank. She sighed as she braced herself for an insult, expecting Santana to keep up with the appearances but it never came. Instead, Santana genuinely smiled at her and held out her hand for her to take.

Santana kissed the diva's forehead, ignoring the shocked faces of their friends and started walking toward the exit. She stopped when Rachel tugged on her hand. She looked at her before looking at the picture the brunette was staring at. It was a picture of Michelle and Santiago.

"The quote beneath it has changed." The diva noticed. "It says the couple survived and left the town soon after."

The Latina smiled. "So mission accomplished? We give these two rebels a happy end."

"It looks like it. It wasn't an easy task but no matter who or what sent us there, I'm thankful for the experience. I learned a lot and more importantly, I met the real you." The petite girl smiled brightly.

The tan girl rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Ditto." She tried to ignore the whispers of their friends behind them and looked at the wall where she saw a picture of Mary. She read the quote underneath and was happy to see the girl had done well. She had moved to a bigger town and discovered the cure for a disease.

"Look, a picture of Dorothy." The brunette said. "It says she wrote a few books and become pretty famous afterwards."

They stared at the pictures of the people they had grown fond of over the past couple months without letting go of each other's hand.

"Guys, I have no idea what you're talking about and frankly I feel like I'm in the twilight zone right now but…" Kurt said almost scared to interrupt. "We have to go, Mr Schue is waiting for us."

"We're gonna wait outside," Quinn stated. "But don't think you're off the hook, I want to know where you were."

"Whatever, gossip girls, we'll be there soon."

The blonde raised her eyebrow. "We?"

"For god's sake, go!" The raven-haired growled.

Rachel waited for them to be alone before asking. "So… It's not the end of us?" She was scared but hopeful.

"Oh no, it seems like the beginning of forever." Santana replied before kissing the diva again.

Rachel smiled, now she was sure about the reason why Santana and her were chosen to give this couple a happy ending, because they were soulmates too…


End file.
